Queen of Peace
by CharmedGirl92
Summary: She had a few things in mind when she defected from Germany. Be a member of British Intelligence. Intercept critical intel. Get her family out of Germany to prevent her father from having to serve Hitler. Help the Jews survive the Third Reich. However, she didn't expect to meet him, an American soldier of all people. He made her feel more than the German girl who joined the Allies.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize.**

 _January 1941_

Peggy Carter stared at the dark haired young woman from behind the mirror glass. The agent hadn't been told much, but when she received the call to come in because of a new German asset, she was more than happy to comply. However, what she found was not what she expected. She was expecting some top ranking German official, perhaps, a general or some sort of right hand man of Hitler. Not some nineteen-year old German nobody. However, she knew there had to be more to this if her superiors had called in especially this late at night.

"Agent Carter" she heard her name called out causing her to turn her head. Walking towards her was a man. It was Colonel Chester Phillips, one of her superior officers at the Strategic Scientific Reserve.

"Colonel Phillips" the brunette nodded her head, greeting him.

"I appreciate you coming at this time of night Carter" he replied. "But I wouldn't have called if it wasn't important."

"I figured it would be, hence why I'm here. Who's the girl" Peggy motioned her toward the glass.

"Béatrice Faust" Phillips replied handing the female agent a file that was in his hand. Peggy took it and opened it. There were numerous pictures and papers in it. Clearly she was a person of interest to the British Intelligence community.

"I'm sure you can notice that it's a big file. We don't have time to go into complete detail, but here's the rundown. She's the daughter of Oskar Faust" Phillips explained to her.

Peggy's eyes widened as she looked up at her superior officer. "The mathematician?"

"And military strategist during the first war" Phillips stated nodding his head. "Hitler's been constantly reaching out to him in the past year. He wants Faust to be apart of his inner circle, which means he'll have access to information on HYDRA."

Peggy looked over at the girl and back up at Phillips. She was somewhat confused. "What does his daughter have to do with any of this? Where does she fall into this?"

"Father dearest doesn't want anything to do with Hitler" Phillips began taking a deep breath. "He wants out of Germany and asylum for the family. He reached out to British Intelligence several months ago. We've made a deal with him. His daughter is part of that deal. He joins back into ranks of the Third Reich while he writes to his daughter who is believed to be away in Paris. She gets the letters, decodes them for us, gives us the information, and when the time is right, the government pulls them out with the stipulation of British passports and a home."

Peggy looked back down at the file and shook her head slightly. "Goodness. That's still quite a lot of information. How did she get here? Our intelligence has found boarders have been tight recently."

"She managed to smuggle herself to the Swiss boarder using some false papers. We're not completely sure. She's not told anyone, but when she was picked up, she looked rough" Phillips explained looking at the glass wall. "She had blood on her"

Peggy closed the file and back over at the glass, staring at the girl once more. She must have been through a terrible ordeal, but the important thing was that she made it. "It seems the poor girl has been through hell the past week.

Phillips nodded his head in agreement. "Which is why we called you in. We need you to debrief her. Figured she'd be open to speaking with you than someone else. "

Peggy looked at him curiously and frowned. He called her in so she could debrief a new asset that he should have had the authority to do himself. So why her? It hit her almost immediately. "You called me in at this time of night because you thought she would be more reasonable with someone of the same sex?"

"Now Carter when you say it like that…." Phillips began as he saw a glare from Peggy. "Honestly, this wasn't my call. I wanted you in because I want you to train her. Everyone else wanted you because you were a woman. You're one of the best and we need her to be good, so the decision was easy to go along with."

Peggy was slightly taken aback. Pleased almost with the newfound information. He wanted _her_ to train the girl. Of all people? "You want her to be as good as me."

"If not better" Phillips looked directly at her, shrugging. "But I never said that."

Peggy smirked at him and stayed quiet for a moment. "We'll see about that."

* * *

She looked down at her shaking hands. She didn't know why she was nervous, but she was. Perhaps it was just jitters from the journey. She couldn't believe that she had been able to make it. Everything had gone according to plan. She wasn't sure how, but it did. She had made it safely out of Germany. She had met at rendezvous point with the Allies. Now she waited.

The silence in the room should have bothered her by now. She always hated the silence. It made her uncomfortable, but for some reason it felt peaceful in this moment. It had been a while since she had this type of silence. She was too used to new noises. Noises that she did not particularly like.

The sound of the door opening caused her to look up. A young woman in a military uniform emerged with a file and a notebook in her hand. She walked over to the table."Fräulein Faust" she began taking a seat in front of the young woman. "My name is Agent Peggy Carter and I've been tasked with debriefing you. I'm going to ask you some questions is that alright?"

Béatrice eye's narrowed at her slight, but her brows furrowed in confusion as well. Overall, the girl looked exhausted, Peggy noted. It looked like she was in a need for a good night's rest. Not that she blamed her anyway. In a way, she felt sorry for the poor girl. She was probably terrified and confused. Slowly after a moment, she nodded her head.

"I understand you can speak English, but would you prefer to speak in German or French?" Peggy asked her after.

The German girl swallowed and shook her head. "English is fine" she said quietly.

Peggy smiled at her slightly and nodded her head. Her English was nearly immaculate. "Would you mind stating your name for the record?" she said as she grabbed her pen and placed it on the paper.

"Béatrice Faust" the girl looked at her, her voice filled with a mix of a French and German accent.

"And Fräulein, do you know why you're here?" Peggy replied as she began to take notes.

Béatrice nodded silently and took a deep breath. "My father is Oskar Faust. He has information regarding Hitler's strategies for troops. I'm here to pass on that information."

"And you are aware of what the British government have offered you in return for said information" Peggy looked at her directly

At the point "You and I both know what I have been offered. With all due respect Agent Carter, I'm not sure why we're doing this."

Peggy sat her pen down and sat quietly for a moment. She looked up at the girl and smiled directly at her. "To be honest, I'm not sure either. Obviously, you were able to escape your home country knowing the risks, but you did it for whatever your own personal reasons are. I don't think it's any of my concern as to why. You're sitting in that chair. You know what you'll be doing and for what. If you do not mind my frankness, the only reason we are sitting here is because my male superior officers are worried that unless we break things down gently for you, you won't make do on your promises. They believed that you would have been more reasonable with a woman and right now they are probably staring at us through that wall, groaning in frustration for my honesty with you."

The nineteen year old raised an eyebrow to Peggy and then looked over at the mirrored wall. "Männer" Béatrice mumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes, which caused Peggy to smirk slightly. "Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I can't handle myself around men. My father was a military man after all and I managed to get across German boarders undetected. I'm not fragile. What I'm doing is treason and could be killed for it. I'm not afraid."

Peggy's eyebrows rose slightly. "I think what you're doing is very brave. We need more people, more women like you."

Béatrice smiled slightly at her. "That's not something you hear often from another woman."

"I would argue I'm not the type of woman you meet often" Peggy smirked at her slightly.

Béatrice smiled slightly at her. She liked this woman a lot. She didn't know what she was expecting with the British, but if there were more who were like this Agent Peggy Carter, she would be fine. "I can answer your question for you if you like" she suddenly spoke.

Peggy looked at her curiously, somewhat taken aback. "Like you said I already know. It's a way out for your family. A way out of Germany."

"Yes, but do you know what is happening over there?" the German girl asked. What he is doing to the Jews?" "I have friends who I have been brought up with my whole life. One day there are there, the next they are gone without a trace. People who have lived on my street for generations in the same house are forced to leave and live in segregating housing. It's all because of one man. He started it and holds all the power. No man should have that much power. No one should. I think that. My father thinks that. It is why I'm here. I want and need to help the people of Europe. All of them."

Agent Carter nodded her head at the girl, feeling very impressed. The young woman standing in front of her was a warrior. Someone like her. Destined for great things and knew what her worth was. "Then we have no time to waste."

* * *

 _One-Year Later Camp McCoy, Wisconsin_

Béatrice watched as a new convey of trucks came into Camp McCoy. New recruits were coming in for training. It took the Americans long enough, but they had finally decided to join the war against her home nation. However, it was not due to Hitler, but because of the Japanese attacking the Naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7. 1941. She was in Austria at the time, but the news spread quickly. Immediately war was declared by President Roosevelt and only a mere days later, Hitler declared war on the country. Since then, thousands of young Americans were enlisting to protect their homeland and instead of being in Europe, she was stuck observing them. She sighed heavily. She was already bored in Wisconsin. It was freezing and undoubtedly dull. She silently cursed her superior officer for making her come here.

"Fräulein Faust" she suddenly heard her name called. Her eyes perked up and she turned to see a older man with glasses walking towards her. She smiled widely in response. ", Doktor Erskine, Wie geht es Ihnen?"

He smiled just as wide in response. "In times like these Fräulein, it is always wonderful to hear you greet me in our native language. " Abraham Erskine was a German like herself and a brilliant scientist. He had been captured by the German organization HYDRA that was committed to world domination that started with the use of the occult, but grew into science and weapons as well. Thanks to Peggy Carter, he had been rescued and came to work for the SSR. She met him a mere six months ago in London and the two immediately became close friends due to their shared heritage.

"I did not know you would be joining us here" Béatrice walked over to him.

Erskine shook his head slightly. "I am afraid I am on my way out."

The German brunette's face fell at his response. "Still no luck I'm assuming."

"Unfortunately not, but it will happen I assure. Keep faith" he told her in response.

She nodded her head in response. The doctor had been on a mission for the SSR for months for an experiment. She did not know anything about it other the fact that he was looking for a particular subject. Béatrice often wondered what the experiment was, but any time she asked, she would always be told that it wasn't part of her mission. Most of the time, she would drop the matter, but it didn't leave her from wondering.

Pulling out a box of cigarettes, she offered one of the to her friend. "Danke" he replied taking one. He pulled out a matchbox from his own pocket and handed it to her. She grabbed a match, lit it, her own cigarette, and then handed the box back to the doctor. He followed suit and lit his own.

"Is your family well?" the doctor asked as he inhaled the cigarette.

She nodded her head and looked at him. "As can be expected considering the circumstances. From the letters I receive, things seem to be going from bad to worse. "

"I am sure you are anxious to get back over there" Erskine said simply.

Béatrice sighed as she inhaled the cigarette. "I am. I feel useless here."

The German doctor smiled at her slightly. "Well I understood that you caused quite a scene during your last mission. Hence why they moved you over here for the time being."

"I understand why I'm here, but it doesn't mean I have to like it" she shot him a look.

"I didn't think you would" Erskine chucked at her. "Have patience though Fräulein Faust. The time will come. Everything will work out."

She looked at her curiously as she took another puff from the cigarette. "Is that what you keep telling yourself. About your super secret plans."

The doctor nodded his head. "It is exactly what I tell myself. Sometimes the waiting is hard, but when the time comes, it is very much worth the wait."

Béatrice smiled at him slightly and took another deep inhale of her cigarette. She hoped he was right. She would bide her time and it was unknown as to how long she would be there, but deep down she knew that getting back to Europe would be worth it when the time came. Her mission wasn't over. Not at all.

"I'm afraid I must run Fräulein Faust" the doctor suddenly spoke. "I have a train to Washington D.C. to catch. Thank you for the cigarette and I will see you soon."

"Keine Ursache" Béatrice smiled at him. "I look forward to it"

"As do I" the doctor smiled back at her. With that he turned and walked towards a group of trucks that were about to leave the camp.

She put the cigarette up to her lips and breathed heavily. This was it. This is what she would be dealing with for however long she was going to stay here.

"Well, well, well" she heard a voice say behind her snapping her out of her thoughts. "Look who's joining us on the right side of the Atlantic."

Turning around, she saw a tall, blonde hair man in an Army uniform smirking at her. "Captain McPherson, had I known you would be here, I would have requested to be assigned elsewhere" she smirked at the officer. She walked closer to him. "Alexander." She began to move closer to him.

He put his hand up to stop her and cleared his throat. "Béatrice, comment allez-vous?"

She smiled brightly at him at his use of French. "Très magnifique Alexander" she clapped her hands together. "You have been practicing."

He nodded happily and walked closer to her, wrapping his arms around her. "It's so good to see you."

"You as well" she responded pulling away. "How's Evelyn?"

"Wonderful" Alexander beamed smiling happily. "She asked about you and is begging for me to bring you with me the next time I get leave. She also wanted me to thank you for the French dictionary."

"I'm glad she enjoyed it. Now you'll really have a reason to take her to Paris one day."

"Oh between the dictionary and this, she's never going to stop bugging me about it" Alexander then pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to his friend. Béatrice frowned at it and opened it up. Her eyes suddenly went wide. The paper was a picture of Alexander and a young woman. He was down on one knee holding out a ring to her.

"You asked her finally!" Béatrice exclaimed jumping on him to hug him. "This is wonderful! I'm so happy for you both!"

Alexander laughed and pulled her off of him. "And we expect you to be in attendance of course."

"Unless I am dead I wouldn't miss it for the world" she glared at him playfully. The blonde eyes went wide and rolled slightly as he motioned for her to follow him. The two walked through the camp, catching up as they normally would when they meet.

"So where's Peggy currently?" he asked her.

"Back in London according to the last letter I received. She said she'd be stateside soon once more" the German explained to him.

Alexander nodded his head. "I saw the good doctor from a distance. Will he be here long?"

"Just passing through he said" she replied stopping. "He hasn't found what he's looking for yet, but he has great patience. He is clearly thinks he has time."

"But I'm not sure if time will be on our side much longer" his face fell. "Whatever his secret project is, I'm not sure if it will be ready. German forces are getting stronger. Hitler won't wait. Neither will HYDRA."

She looked at him and sighed. She agreed with him completely. Time was not going to be on their side forever. It was only a matter time before all hell would truly break loose. "So, I know you know why I'm here, but why are you?"

The blonde shrugged slightly at her. "Between you and I, I think I'm here to look after you until they decide it's okay for you to go back to Europe."

Béatrice looked at him unimpressed. Of course he was to look after her. Why was she surprised by it? "I don't need a babysitter, but I suppose I'd rather it be you than someone else."

"Chin up darling. You'll get back there soon. It's just a precaution that's all. I for one think you were brilliant" he nudged her in her arm.

She let out a laugh. "That's the first time I've heard someone refer to what happened as brilliant."

"Well like I said, I thought it was. Oh and before I forget" he suddenly said reaching into his pocket. "Colonel Phillips asked that you would send them anything you find as soon as possible this evening." He pulled out an envelope with her name and an address, holding it in front of her. Béatrice nodded her head and him and took the letter silently.

Alexander looked at her and noticed the change in her demeanor. He automatically knew what was on her mind. She was thinking about what the letter's contents were. "I'm sure every thing is fine. Come on, I'm sure Colonel Matthews is waiting for us."

* * *

James Barnes or as his friends called him, Bucky felt good. Walking through Camp McCoy, he felt that he was finally doing something with his life. After enlisting only days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was finally at boot camp. Now he would be able to help his country and do something worthwhile. Everything was perfect. Well…almost everything. He thought back to Brooklyn, his home and to his best friend, Steve Rogers. He wished his best friend was here with him, but he was not fit for duty, which he was sure left his friend heartbroken. But he knew that Steve would find some other way to help, just legally that is.

Walking along with the other newly arrived recruits, they all made their way to the middle of the camp. A older gentleman with a mustache and dark hair emerged from one of the tents, walking over to them and standing in front of them.

"Gentlemen. I am Colonel Jefferson Matthews" the man announced. "I am in charge of Camp McCoy. Congratulations. You have made your first steps into one of the bravest and most heroic things you will ever do. Fighting for the homeland. For our freedom. Soon you will be placed into specific divisions and begin boot camp. I will warn you, it will be some of the toughest weeks of your life. Some of you may not make it to graduation. We aren't training a weak Army, but a strong one." The Colonel then walked over to a pair of individuals. "This is Agent Faust and Captain McPherson" he continued. They are here to observe and assist with the supervising of operations. You are to treat them both with respect as you would any normal superior officer."

Bucky looked over and saw the pair. A man with blonde hair and in the uniform he figured he would have once he was done with training. However, the individual standing beside him was what truly intrigued him. A woman with dark hair wearing a female military uniform. He had heard that women were trying to make their way into the military, but he didn't think he'd actually see one during training. At least, he'd have something pretty to look at occasionally during the next few weeks.

"Gentlemen" Captain McPherson tilted his head towards them.

"Guten Tag" he heard the young woman spoke in a thick accent. As soon as she did, many of the men's eyes went wide and gasped. She wasn't just any dame. She was a German. Bucky felt his own eyes went wide. He wasn't even sure what to think.

"I thought we were fighting the Germans, not working with them" a recruit said. It was not a loud comment, but one that many could still hear.

"Das schon wieder" Agent Faust muttered and rolled her eyes.

"Soll ich ihn schlagen?" Captain McPherson responded staring right at the new recruit.

"Nein" she replied instantly and just stared at the man. Her eyes then scanned the group and fell on his own. He felt a shiver up his spine slightly. It was almost as though her dark brown eyes were staring into his soul, learning every secret he ever had in his life. Agent Faust's eyes quickly darted away from his own and went back to the crowd.

"I signed up for the US Army, not to work with Nazi scum or even a woman for that matter" the same recruit grumbled even louder. Captain McPherson sighed and looked directly over at Colonel Matthews

"Again I will repeat that you are to treat all superior officers with respect" Colonel Matthews glared at the new soldiers and rolling his eyes slightly. "You may not like it, but that's how it is. You'll all going to have to make sacrifices quite soon."

* * *

Bucky sat in the mess hall with a group of recruits he had been assigned with for boot camp. He couldn't get his mind of the German woman who was in the camp. She had walked passed the table with Captain McPherson, conversing in German, which led him to believe that Agent Faust did not speak English and Captain McPherson acted as a translator or some sort. He wondered why she was here. Everyone was trying to figure it out as well with many still convinced she was a Nazi or double agent, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to have those thoughts of her.

"I don't get it. Why would we be working with Germans?" one of the men, Johnson spoke, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"I heard she's the daughter of some big Nazi general and she would have dinner with Hitler once a week" another one commented.

"That's bullshit! I heard she's actually in charge of the Nazi group for German women" another one, Hamilton argued.

"Maybe she's not a Nazi?" Bucky suddenly spoke up looking at the group. They all stared at him in shock silently. He sighed and just shook his head. "I mean there's got to be some people who don't like Hitler over there."

"Well when you find one, let me know" Johnson rolled his eyes before taking a sip from his cup. "She may be German, but at least she's a looker am I right? I've heard German girls are a good screw, maybe she is too."

Bucky looked down at his food suddenly losing his appetite. He tuned out the conversation on Agent Faust as best as he could. For some reason, he felt like Steve in that moment. No one was going to hear him out. Steve would if he would there. He already knew, he wouldn't judge Agent Faust on her accent at all. It was going to be an interesting few weeks with her around. He could already tell.

* * *

Béatrice sat on the railings of one of the buildings. It had been a long day. She was exhausted despite having done barely anything, but it was due to the comments about her heritage. She should have been used to it by now, but she would never be. She'd always be seen as the German or a woman. Not a person. Not someone trying to bring peace to the world.

Sighing, pulling out the somewhat crumpled envelope from her pocket, she took a deep breath. Another letter from her father. Her nerves began to creep up again. She was so used to this by now, but every time she received a letter, she was always worried as to its contents. Was it her father? Or was it someone else? She tore the envelope open and found two pieces of paper. One with an "X" marked on it and the other that did not. She grabbed the one without first.

 _My dearest B_ é _atrice,_

 _I apologize for writing in English, but with our hopeful departure soon, I feel that I need to practice as much as possible. Enclosed with this letter is the weather report. You know what to do. I hope you're well. Your letters are a great comfort to your mother and I greatly. We miss you terribly, but continue to be so proud of you. We heard what happened in Austria. No one suspects anything, but please continue to be careful. We already lost one child. I do not wish to lose another. I am afraid that this letter comes bearing some horrible news. Rifka Dreyfuss has gone missing. I was told that she was last seen going to the market. She never returned home. Only two days later, the entire Dreyfuss family disappeared. We are searching for as much information as we can, but as you know we must keep up appearances. Too many questions would raise suspicions I, however, fear for the worst especially after what was discussed at the Wannsee Conference in January. Ghettos are no longer the solution. Extermination is. It is a slow process, but it is happening. I fear for our Jewish friends. I fear for the future of Europe. The Führer_ _forces grow stronger daily. With the Americans now in the fight, perhaps they can help our cause. Be safe my darling._

 _Love,_

 _Your Father_

Béatrice felt tears in her eyes. She had fond memories of Rifka and her family. Their families spent plenty of time together. Every summer the neighborhood would have a large gathering and she and Rifka would always spend countless hours in the kitchen together or figuring out what to wear. She felt her heartbreaking. What was happening, it wasn't right. It was never going to be right. The tear rolled down her cheek. She wanted nothing more than to be home with her family. To wake up from this horrible nightmare. But life was not that simple. She pulled out a cigarette from her pocket and lit it with a lighter. It was a terrible habit that she had picked up in the past year, but it was the only thing that seemed to ease her mind during these times.

Hearing a creek in the boards of the floor, she looked up and jumped off the railing. "Mein Gott!" she exclaimed. Before her stood one of the soldiers from the new recruits earlier. He looked as though that starling her had startled him. She quickly wiped the stray tears from her cheeks as she stood before him.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you" he said gently slowly walking towards her. "Are you alright?"

She just stared at him in confusion silently. What was she suppose to say? Should she speak to him in German and make him think she didn't understand or speak in English? What was he doing out so late? It was past the curfew. Should she report him? If she did, would he insult her?

"Do you speak English by any chance?" he asked her snapping her out of the numerous questions she was asking. "I promise I'm not here to hurt you and I'm sorry to startle you, but I saw you were crying and just wanted to see if you were okay. Pretty dame like you shouldn't be crying…" he suddenly groaned realizing what he had said and sighed. "And you probably have no idea what I'm saying."

She rolled her eyes and sighed loudly, putting her right hand into her pocket, along with the letters. "Well maybe if you could stop rambling for a moment, I could actually get a word in and tell you that I do understand what you're saying"

The soldier's eyes went wide all of a sudden. "You….you….speak English?" he exclaimed.

"Quite well actually" she nodded simply. "You Americans are so strange to me. You automatically assume that if someone speaks their native tongue, it's the only one. If you really must know not that it's any of your business anyway, I speak four languages. German, French, Polish, and English. I'm learning Russian, but I'm finding it rather difficult."

The soldier just continued to stare at her silently with wide eyes. "I apologize ma'am" he said walking closer to her.

"It's fine" she said before taking another puff of the cigarette. She took a moment to really look at him. He was tall, skinny, dark hair, and perhaps the most gorgeous blue eyes she had ever seen. She had to admit, he was handsome. "What's your name soldier?"

"Barnes ma'am. James Barnes" he said offering his hand to her. He figured he would be formal before he told her his nickname. Besides he sounded more dashing to the ladies as James as opposed to Bucky.

She stared at him for a moment, narrowing her eyes at him. She then slowly lifted her hand and her fingertips only touched his fingers, gently shaking it. The act caused him to chuckle to himself. She was either nervous or that's how they introduced one another in Germany.

She continued to eye him closely. "You know you're out past curfew Private Barnes."

He smirked at her slightly and shrugged. "Can't really sleep. Bed's not that great. New place. Figured I'd take a walk to clear my head a bit."

"You'll get used to it, but then by the time you do, it'll be time for you to leave. I'll let you slide this time" she said simply in response. She understood where he was coming from. She herself had barely been able to sleep in such a strange place the past few days.

He walked closer to her and leaned against the railing. "You're a long way from Germany."

She nodded her head slightly, but made a face. "I've been further though".

"How long have you been over here?" he asked immediately.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "You ask a lot of questions."

Bucky smirked at her in response. "Just trying to make conversation that's all.

"Well I have to say that's a first" she smirked back at him. "Most people aren't really interested in talking to me."

"I find that hard to believe" he chuckled slightly.

"Well it's the truth when you're a woman in the service and of course a German" she shrugged at him.

She saw as his face fell. He looked almost sorry for her. He opened his mouth to speak, closed it, and opened it once more. "I'm sorry about what Johnson said about you earlier. He obviously has no clue what he's talking about. He doesn't even know you. It wasn't right what he said."

"It's no matter" she shrugged slightly at him. "I've been called worse. I try not to let it bother me. I am German and Germans are seen as the enemy. It's a part of me I cannot hide. It is what it is."

"Yeah, but clearly you're not working for the Nazi's, so you should be treated just the same as any dame…or….uh…girl….I mean woman" he said suddenly getting flustered.

Agent Faust chuckled at him causing him to feel even more ridiculous than what he already did. "How can you be so sure I'm not a spy? Perhaps I'm a double agent" she smirked as she took another puff from her cigarette.

"I'm pretty good at reading people and I don't think you're a spy" Bucky said walking closer to her.

"What makes you so sure?" she titled her head.

"You got this look in your eyes. That you're fighting for something you believe in. You've got passion in your eyes that I can't say I've seen before."

She narrowed her eyes at him as she took another puff from her cigarette. "Is this how you all you Americans flirt or am I just this lucky?"

Bucky laughed at her and smiled. This girl was something else that was for sure. "What makes you think I'm flirting with you?"

"Well you did say I was pretty, but it's also your eyes" she smirked at him. "You have this look. Like you're used to getting what you want. Couple of compliments. Bit of sweet talking and you can just get any girl can't you?"

"Well obviously I need to try harder with you" his eyebrows raised.

She blew out smoke from her mouth as she was about to speak...

"Agent Faust"

Private Barnes quickly stood up straight. "Captain McPherson" he said quickly.

Béatrice turned and saw Alexander standing at the bottom of the steps.

"At ease soldier" Alexander told him quickly before turning his attention to her. "They need you. Time for the weather report."

Bucky noticed the change in her expression. Her face fell and she quickly nodded her head. Weather report? He wondered what that meant. It had to be code for something else.

"Enjoy the rest of your evening Private Barnes. I hope you get some sleep" she said before turning to walk away.

"You know, I never got your first name Agent Faust" he smiled at her.

She looked directly at him and smirked. "I never told you." With that she turned her heel, leaving him dumbfounded. Watching her walked down the steps and walked down the steps towards Captain McPherson, he realized he had never met a dame like her. It was usually easy for him to get the girl's names or something. With her he got nothing. His eyes flicked up to McPherson, who was closely staring at him, as if he was sizing him up for some sort of competition.

"Private Barnes, I suggest you return to your quarters and try to get some sleep" McPherson smirked slightly at him. "You're going to need it." He then turned and began to walk after Agent Faust, leaving Bucky to his thoughts and the strangest interaction with a woman that he had ever had.

* * *

"What the hell was that all about?" Alexander exclaimed as he and Béatrice walked through the camp.

"He snuck up on me. He was trying to flirt with me" she said shrugging at him.

"I don't need to punch him do I?" her friend shot back asking.

"Not right now" she smiled shaking her head, laughing. "He's harmless."

Alexander turned slightly and looked behind him. From a distance, he could still see Private Barnes watching him. "You know he's still staring at you. I have to say…I don't like it." He suddenly stopped and began to turn fully around. "You know what. I think I'm going to go back and punch him."

The German grabbed him and rolled her eyes. "Alexander. Stop" Béatrice laughed at him. "I don't need to write Evelyn and explain why her fiancé is in the hospital or confined to quarters, or worse"

Alexander shot her a look and rolled his eyes. "I think Evelyn would be pleased that I was helping a friend in need" the blonde protested. "Not even done with day one and you already have an admirer."

"Du bist verrückt" she huffed at him rolling her eyes.

"And so are you Faust, so are you" Alexander glared at her playfully. "Not only am I going to have to keep you out of trouble, I'm also going to have to keep you from causing the entire division from falling in love with you."

 **Let me know what you think! Read and review!**

 **Tranlsations:**

 **Arzt Erskine, Wie geht es Ihnen?: Doctor Erskine, how are you?**

 **Keine Ursache: You're welcome**

 **Comment allez-vous: How are you?**

 **Très magnifique: Very beautiful**

 **Das schon wieder: This again**

 **Soll ich ihn schlagen?: Want me to hit him?**

 **Nein: No**

 **Du bist verrückt: You are crazy**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize**

Béatrice and Alexander quickly made their way to a building on the edge of Camp McCoy. As they walked, the short conversation with Private Barnes stayed with her. Americans had always fascinated her for some reason. Their customs, their culture, and the way they spoke always were a curious its. They were so different than her own native country and no two Americans she met were exactly the same. Private Barnes fell under this observation. He was different. Confident, cocky, but in a strange way open and kind.

Alexander on the other hand still seemed to be fuming about him causing her to smile somewhat. She was convinced that he was still debating over whether or not to go back and punch Private Barnes. He had no reason to, but he just wanted to because he was worried. He didn't want anyone to take advantage of her. He was very protective of her. He always had been. It made her happy and pleased to know that someone was looking out for her despite who she was.

The two of them eventually reached their destination. A cabin towards the end of camp. It was heavily guarded by a number of officers. As she walked up the steps, she felt uneasy at the sight of their guns. She knew they were only doing their job, but being German, it made her nervous. Alexander held open the door for her and followed her inside as she entered the building. Inside was a very large desk and sitting at it was Colonel Matthews.

"Faust. Captain" he acknowledged the two of them standing up. "Miss Faust, if you will." He motioned for her to sit down. She had done this so many times, she could do it in her sleep. She sat down in front of the desk and pulled out the letter from her father. The one that was marked was the one her hand went for. Opening it up, she read it and grabbed a pen.

Colonel Matthews looked down at her and attempted to see the letter. He was curious like everyone about the German girl who was helping them. He wasn't thrilled that she was a woman or German or the fact that he was basically babysitting her, but his superior officers were insistent and there was no stopping it. He moved closer to see what the girl was frantically writing on a nearby sheet of paper.

"Don't hover over here, sir" McPherson suddenly spoke. "She doesn't like when people do that. She'll read it out loud once she's done."

Matthews looked up at the captain and rolled his eyes slightly. He began to tap his foot impatiently as the girl continued to frantically write. Occasionally, the room would hear the muttering of a German word or two, but since all but two people in the room spoke German, no one knew what was being said.

What seemed like forever, Alexander watched as Béatrice sat down the pen. She picked up the piece of paper, she had been frantically writing on and took a deep breath.

"First, my father says that Hitler is planning to move more troops to Italy to assist their Army" she began. "There's no set number yet, but he should know in due time. The rumor is around 5,000. Secondly, there is talk of an experiment that HYDRA is frantically working on. He doesn't know details, only that it's failing and all the men they have tested it on have died. Lastly, there is another air attack on Britain planned for next Tuesday in London."

The entire room went silent at the new found information. Matthews eye's rose. He was officially impressed and he didn't think he would be. Agent Faust looked at him, handing him the piece of paper.

"Colonel Phillips will be please with this information" he only said as he took the piece of paper.

Alexander smirked at the colonel. Once again, his friend had made believers out of doubters. She was good at what she did and no one would ever be able to deny it. He saw as she turned to him and he winked at her. Another successful message decoded and another step toward winning the war had been taken.

* * *

Bucky was awoken bright and early the next morning. Sleep still did not come easy to him. There were too many things running through his mind. He was worried about Steve. He hoped he was okay and staying out of trouble. He still wished his best friend could have joined him. He already was finding himself missing Brooklyn. The next thing that plagued his mind was Agent Faust. There was a growing sense of fascination when it came to her.

During his morning jog, many of the other recruits were still fighting over why she was there and who she was. He made it a point not to comment on it or even explain that he had spoken to her. She didn't seem to like the unwanted attention that came with being a German, so he figured he'd keep their conversation between the two of them. He enjoyed talking to her. She was a breath of fresh air. Not like the other girls he had ever spoken with. She was different. He was very curious.

There were times throughout the morning that he would see Captain McPherson. Bucky found himself looking for Agent Faust, however, she was not with him at all during the morning. He felt slightly disappointed over the fact, but then kicked himself wondering why he felt such disappointment. He didn't know her. He didn't know her at all. He didn't even know her first name. How could he feel disappointment with someone he had barely any information about.

It wasn't until lunch time that he actually saw her again. She was in the mess hall sitting at a table with Captain McPherson. Bucky wondered how close the two of them were. Were they just friends or more? He seemed extremely protective over her the night before and he could have sworn he had asked Agent Faust if she wanted him to punch him. Perhaps he was her boyfriend and he didn't want anyone coming in on his territory. Still, if they were together, they didn't act like it. She didn't look at him the way he was used to girls looking at him. Either there was a new look he was unaware of or they were an incredibly boring couple who lacked passion.

"You keep frowning like that and you're going to get a lot of wrinkles" he heard a voice suddenly speak, snapping him out of his thoughts. He turned to see another recruit sitting down next to him. Joe Harrington was from Virginia, a farmer and married. The two of them were bunk buddies and while Joe was nice, he could read people a little too easily. "You're staring at her again. She's not going anywhere. I heard a rumor she's here for around the same time we are."

"Doesn't matter to me" Bucky shrugged in response.

"Obviously" Joe rolled his eyes, picking up a knife to peal an apple. "Clearly that's why you keep staring at her or looking for her."

"I'm just interested" he looked at him. "Like everyone else."

Joe shook his head. "No you have a very different interest my friend."

Bucky took a deep breath and took a bite of food on his plate. "I'm just curious about her that's all."

"Bucky I'm going to give you some advice" Joe began taking a bite of his apple. "That's always how it starts. Meet a girl who barely tells you anything about herself. You get curious about said girl and make it your mission to get to know her. In the process you fall madly in love with said girl and maybe she does too or doesn't. You have two outcomes: happiness or your ass gets dumped."

"I don't see how that's advice" Bucky frowned in response, almost smirking.

"Oh the advice is in there. You just have to look" Joe replied as a few more men sat down around them.

"What are we talking about" one them, a man named Edgar Samson asked.

"Oh just Barnes over here's got a little growing crush on our German visitor" Joe shrugged looking between Samson and Bucky.

Bucky rolled his eyes in response. "Don't you think you're getting ahead of yourself there?"

"Don't you think you're a little out of your league?" Samson interjected. "She's technically a superior officer. I don't know how, but she is and I bet you somewhere in that one-hundred plus page handbook, there's a rule about not dating superior officers."

"Is there something in there about dating Germans?" Johnson glared slightly sitting down. "Don't do it Barnes. Out of all the girls I'm sure you could get at home, don't go for the enemy here."

Bucky began to ignore their comments. He didn't want to hear it anymore. If he heard Johnson make one more comment about how she was a German, he'd probably punch him. He looked back over to where Agent Faust and Captain McPherson were sitting. The two of them were eating in silence, but looked as though they were in deep thought.

* * *

Alexander tapped his fingers on the mess hall table and looked outside the window. Béatrice sat silently as she ate her lunch. His mind was going over the previous nights message. There was one part of it that made him curious. HYDRA's experiments. It had been the first that they had heard of any new experiments to his knowledge that was. It was possible that the SSR knew something that neither of them didn't, but still he would thought they would have more than this.

"It just doesn't make any sense to me" he suddenly spoke looking at the German. "What could they be testing?"

"Your guess is as good as mine" Béatrice answered looking up at him. "Maybe Peggy or Phillips will know what it means."

Alexander nodded in agreement and sighed. "But why would he be using his own German soldiers? Why not use Jews? At this rate, Hitler's going to lose the bloody war because HYDRA's killing all of them for some science experiment. Can you explain his logic?"

The brunette took a deep breath."Jew blood is dirty blood. Hitler wouldn't want to have a successful experiment because of a Jew, now would he? Besides, extermination is now the priority. They are too busy trying to build those camps. They want to kill them all and on their terms."

The blonde saw the look of sadness on his friend's face. He knew fully that she had Jewish friends that she was close to. She had been worried about them for months. Receiving the knowledge of the extermination plan, plagued her thoughts. He knew she was feeling useless. She wanted to be in Europe saving as many as possible.

"It'll be okay" Alexander told her softly. "We'll end this one way or another."

She only nodded her head in response and looked back down at her food. He looked up and frowned slightly. Private Barnes, the one he wanted to punch from the night before for just talking to Béatrice was staring at the pair. Mostly staring at her. He looked at the soldier closely. He had yet to notice that he knew he was being watched. The look on his face was familiar. He knew that look alright. It was the second time today that he had seen him looking in his direction. He had seen it this morning while looking over the recruits. He was interested in a certain dark-haired German sitting in front of him.

Béatrice noticed the intense stare in her friend's eyes. "What?" she spoke up

"He's staring at you again" the blonde smirked slightly at her. Béatrice frowned and turned her head around. Behind her she saw Private Barnes looking directly at him. Others were as well, but he was the one who had yet to give up looking at her. The private's eyes suddenly realized he was being looked at as well, but he didn't give up staring at her. He gave her a small smile, which caused her to feel her cheeks go warm.

"You know this morning I was watching him train with the other recruits. Every time I was around, I think he was looking for you to show up" she heard Alexander speak.

"They're all staring at me actually" she said as she turned her head back towards him, shaking whatever she was feeling. "He's not that special."

Alexander shrugged slightly. "Yeah, but he's the only one who's not looking at you like you're a piece of meat or some traitor. Obviously you made quite the impression on him last night. What did you all talk about?"

The brunette shrugged in response, looking down at her plate. "Nothing worth mentioning or that was significant." She looked up at her friend and stared at him curiously, wondering about his change of attitude. "Why do you care? Last night you wanted to punch him. Is that still not an offer?"

Alexander's eyes narrowed and he smirked at her. "I don't know, it's kind of entertaining. Seeing you this way. You're on edge." Béatrice shot him a glare in response. "Well more so than usual that is" the blonde smiled slightly. "All this unwanted attention on you from one man in particular. I'm excited to see where this goes."

Béatrice stared at him silently and frowned in confusion at him. "I'm not understanding where you're going with this."

Her friend groaned in frustration. "Oh come on Béatrice" he huffed shaking his head. "You can't be that naive. He's curious about you obviously. I'd say someone was developing a little crush."

Béatrice's face of confusion soon turned into a face of an angry glare. The look only caused Alexander to burst out laughing and shook his head at her. She clearly was not amused by his joke at all. "Come on, someone having a crush on you isn't a bad thing. Besides at least you'll have something nice to look at when you're here. Well besides me that is. I'd offer myself, but Evelyn of course."

Béatrice continued to glare at him and crossed her arms. "Du bist schrecklich."

"You know what's horrible? How you're handling this. That's horrible. Most women would be losing their minds over a man like that giving them attention" the blonde shot back to him.

"Gib mir Stärke" she sighed in response. "I'm not like most women though."

"Probably why he likes you" he smirked at her again. Before she could respond however, a young solider approached the two of them at the table.

"Agent Faust" he greeted nodding his head gently at her before turning his attention to Alexander. "Captain McPherson, I apologize for interrupting your lunch, but Colonel Matthews has requested to see you."

Alexander frowned slightly and looked over at Béatrice. She nodded her head and motioned for him to go. "I'll catch up with you later" she told him. He nodded his head at her and got up, following the soldier out of the mess hall. However, her eyes once again stopped as they made their way back towards her own table. Private Barnes's eyes were still fixed on her. She turned her head quickly and stood up, making her way through the mess hall. However, the moment she began to leave, almost immediately Private Barnes stood up to follow her.

* * *

As Bucky watched her look over at him and quickly get up, involuntarily he did the same. He didn't know what overcame of him.

"Oh look boys there he goes" Joe laughed at Bucky's quick movements. "Shall we start taking bets on how this will end?"

He ignored the comments as he made his way to the doors. He probably looked crazy following the German girl, but he couldn't help it. His curiosity was getting the best of him in this moment. Once he made it out of the mess hall, he could see her from a distance. He took a deep breath and walked quickly to catch up to her. He saw her turn a corner at a building.

Slowing down, he made his way around the corner and frowned. She was gone. It was impossible. He had just seen her turn here. He let out a slight laugh and shook his head. Turning around, he suddenly jumped at the presence behind him. It was Agent Faust with a cigarette in hand.

"You're following me" she eyed him closely.

"No I'm not" he quickly replied which only caused her to look at him in disbelief. "Well...yes, but I just wanted to say hello."

"Hello then" Agent Faust took another puff of her cigarette before turning a heel to walk off.

"You know for someone who was supposed to be observing operations, you're not really do a good job of it" he blurted out.

His comment caused her to stop, sigh, and roll her eyes. In her head, she was silently cursing Alexander. Perhaps he was right. Actually he was right. Barnes was curious about her and at this rate didn't seem as though he was going to leave her alone anytime soon. "I had some other work to attend to" she said as she turned back to face him.

Bucky raised his eyebrows at her and smirked. "What kind of work?"

"It's classified. It's above your pay grade currently Private Barnes" she looked at him.

He smiled and walked closer to her. "Private Barnes is a little formal. Call me James."

She frowned and pushed her lips together. "It's not really proper" she protested shaking her head.

"Well it's not really proper for a German to be working for the Americans" he responded. His eyes suddenly went wide as to what he said. That's not what he wanted to say at all. What was wrong with him?" I'm sorry that did not come out the way I wanted it to. I didn't mean to offend you" he continued quickly.

"No, I'm not offended" she gave him a small smile. "You're quite right actually. I quite agree how strange it is for me to be involved in all this. I, myself, find it very strange. However, that doesn't mean I can just go around breaking protocol."

He felt himself breathe a sigh of relief. He hadn't scared her off just yet. However, he mentally was yelling at himself for being so nervous and babbling. He was better than this. He didn't fall at the feet of women, it was them who would. "I understand" he quietly replied.

She looked to the right of her, taking a puff of cigarette in her hand and blowing out smoke before looking back over at him. "Did you get some sleep last night?"

"Not really" he shook his head. "Couldn't get comfortable and just kept tossing and turning. Couldn't get my mind to relax."

"You have something on your mind?" she asked tilting her head.

He nodded his head. "Yeah I got a buddy of mine back home in Brooklyn. He wasn't eligible to serve. I'm just worried about him being on his own for a few weeks."

Agent Faust looked at him and smiled once more. It was clear he missed whoever his friend was. He was loyal. "You're a good friend. He's lucky to have you" she nodded at him slightly.

Bucky put his hands in his pocket and suddenly something came to his mind. He hadn't planned on particularly asking what had popped into his head, but now seemed as good as any. "Can I ask you to be honest with me about something?"

Agent Faust frowned at him slightly. "I guess" she nodded.

He took a deep breath. "How bad is it over there? Hitler. What's it like?"

"It's hell" she blurted out almost instantly. Her face fell and she took a deep breath. She wasn't surprised by his question. She should have, but she wasn't. "Hitler's turned Germany into a place I no longer recognize. It's not the Germany I grew up with and love. He's twisted and manipulated so many people. How he is able to is..."

"How many people have you lost?" he interjected.

She felt herself freeze over the question. How many people had she lost? There was a number, but it was possible it was more. The more she thought about it, the more her heart began to ache. It should have never had come to this. Lives should have never been lost. She looked directly at Private Barnes. "Too many" she finally managed to get out.

Bucky noticed the change in her demeanor. He clearly struck a nerve with her. Part of him wanted her to elaborate on who she had lost and how. Hell, he just wanted to know everything. How did a young German woman like her end up in Wisconsin of all places? How did she end up working for the Americans? There was more to her than met the eye. Last night was evident of that. The mysterious weather report she was pulled away to go take care of. What was that about?

However, another part of him wondered why he cared so much. She was just another dame. He had plenty of more attainable women who would be open and honest with him in Brooklyn. Was it because she was so unattainable, so secretive that he felt the need to be looking out for her or following her?

He looked at her and took a moment to take her in. He had been looking at her countless times, but this time, he really wanted to see all of her. Her petite frame was held up by a sense of confidence that anyone could clearly see. She wasn't afraid to hold her own. She had spirit and he liked that a lot. Her dark, curly hair framed her face almost perfectly. Her skin was almost the color of porcelain. When she smiled, a dimple of the side of her cheek appeared. If she had been another dame in Brooklyn, she probably would have been someone who would have caught his eye. Her eyes. Her eyes were probably what drew him in the most. The dark brown made them pop heavily. However, there was something so different about them. Her eyes were sad. Almost as she had seen a lot and wanted nothing more than to forget everything.

Béatrice noticed him eyeing curiously. She began to feel uncomfortable almost. It was like he was sizing her up or trying to grasp every secret she ever had. She began to open her mouth to ask if he was alright, but as she did the sound of a very loud bugle stopped her. It was the signal for all the recruits to return to their respective areas to continue training. "That's your cue. Might want to go. Some of the sergeants enjoy making recruits do push ups for no reason" she smirked at him.

He groaned after hearing that. He had already done more than enough push ups to last a life time, but he knew he still would have more to do "I suppose I'll see you around?"

"Perhaps" Agent Faust shrugged at him crossing her arms and moving the cigarette to her mouth. Bucky smirked at her before turning to leave. He didn't say anything else to her and just walked away. He didn't want to be punished for being late, but he knew he wouldn't push when he would see Agent Faust again. He knew good and well that her "perhaps" was a yes. He couldn't prove it, but something told him that this wouldn't be his last time speaking with her. Besides, he still hadn't gotten her first name. It was now his mission to do so.

 **There you have it! Thanks for all the reviews, favs, and follows! Sorry it took so long to get this one up. My computer had a meltdown and I spent about 3 days trying to save it to no success. As a result, I'm without a computer and using one of my parents. It doesn't matter since they never use it, but I've spent the past two days updating it because it's barely been used so it was needed. I'm probably going to try and update Long and Lost next and those chapters usually take a while so it might be another week or two before I get the next one out on this. Let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

Four weeks. That's how long it took for another letter to arrive. The anticipation of it troubled her day and night. Of course, it did take a week or two for most letters to get to her. They had to be sent to Paris and then forwarded to her through the Resistance in Paris to wherever she was stationed at the time. Sometimes there was a delay due to an attack or it being unsafe for a courier to smuggle it out of the country. However, never had she experienced a delay quite like this. Four weeks was unheard of by her standard, but she remained calm.

Until she opened the letter.

 _Béatrice,_

 _I enjoyed my last letter from you. I'm still writing in English as you are trying to practice as much as you can for your studies. I'll be sure to switch from English to another in our next letter. It sounds as though you are having a wonderful time in Paris. Clearly, you are staying busy with your studies. Your mother and I do wish we could come visit, but I'm afraid I'm needed here to assist the Führer. We had tea with him and with other comrades last week. They asked a great deal about you and were very impressed with your efforts to assist the party. Perhaps when you visit, we shall invite them over. I'm sure you would like to see them as much as they would. You mother sends her love, as does the rest of the family. There's really not much to report this time. I've been busy working with the party and your mother has been entertaining as usual. We miss you dearly. Write soon._

 _Love,_

 _Your father._

She frowned at the letter's contents. It was not like a normal letter that her father would write. It was shorter. It was much more formal. Less emotional. No more news regarding any of their Jewish friends. Instead he was opening discussing the Nazi's and acting as though he was one of them. Something wasn't right at all. She looked into the envelope to pull out the weather report, but instead of seeing only one other folded piece of paper, there was three. The weather report and two smaller pieces. Frowning, she pulled them out and unfolded the first one.

 _Neugieriger und neugieriger_

Her eyes narrowed as she read it quietly out loud. She then unfolded the second piece.

 _Cheshire-Katze_

Her eyes went wider at the second piece of paper. She felt her heart stop. The first paper did not cause for too much alarm, but this one did. Her suspicions were confirmed. Things were in fact not right with her family. Her hands began to shake as she read the words over and over again. She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to, but she had no other choice. The evidence was right there in her hands.

She turned and quickly began to walk back to her quarters. She needed to decode the weather report immediately. She took a deep breath as she maneuvered her way through camp. However, being so deep in her own thoughts, she brushed against someone, causing her to drop the letters to the ground. She quickly dropped to the ground, grabbing for the smaller pieces of paper and as she reached for the weather report and letter from her father, someone beat her to it. She looked up and saw Private Barnes on the ground. That's who she had bumped into.

"Agent Faust" he grinned at her happily. "It's been a while. Have you been avoiding me?" Bucky frowned as she grabbed the two pieces of paper on the ground and took the others from his hand. She didn't look like herself. She was quiet, but never this quiet around him. There was something wrong. "Are you okay?"

She looked at him directly, in confusion, almost as in a daze. "Excuse me" she stood up With that she continued to quickly walk off, leaving the group of soldiers very confused.

"Did she just say excuse me? Does she speak English" Samson's mouth fell open in shock. "Barnes, did you know about this?"

"Yeah I knew" Bucky nodded his head still staring at her walking quickly in the distance. She looked upset, frightened almost. Something in that letter made her so. He wondered what it was. It must have been important enough for her to have a reaction to it. "I wonder what's wrong."

"Maybe you scared her off" Harrington laughed slightly. "She seemed pretty spooked over something."

Bucky didn't admit it out loud, but Harrington was right. She did seemed spooked.

* * *

Shoving the door open to her quarters and slamming it shut behind her, Béatrice let out a shaking sigh. She leaned against the doorway and slide down onto the ground. The tears began to form in her eyes. She let out a quiet sob as she pulled her legs close to her chest. It was becoming too much. She wasn't sure how much longer she could live like this. She wanted to wake up. She wanted it to be a dream. It wasn't.

For the first time in what seemed ages, she was truly afraid.

* * *

Bucky stood with the other recruits waiting for their self-defense training to being. However, his mind was not on whatever harrowing task that the recruits would be put to next. No, his mind was on his encounter with Agent Faust. He had seen her on and off for the past four weeks. Couple of 'hellos' here and there, but no real conversation. He'd also see her around the camp with Captain McPherson watching training sessions. Though, her mind seemed to be elsewhere during them. Something was troubling her. After their encounter this morning, he was convinced it had something to do with the letters in her possession.

He was soon snapped out of his deep thoughts at the sight of both Captain McPherson and Agent Faust. He stood up quickly and ran his hands through his hair to make himself look a little more presentable. As the pair walked past, McPhersron's eyes narrowed at him slightly, giving him almost the exact same look he had been given his first night at camp. He didn't understand. Were they together? Was he threatened by him or simply overprotective considering how some had acted towards Agent Faust. As for her, she didn't turn her head at all to acknowledge him. She looked deep in thought once more. The pair walked over to stand in front of the recruits

"Gentlemen" he announced. "Before we give you a well deserved night off to commemorate being half way through your training, Colonel Matthews asked me to take over your self-defense training for today. Unfortunately, the German military grows stronger everyday. Their tactics and plans, sometimes unknown to us. Our intelligence works hard to discover them, but we must still be prepared for everything."

"Great. We have to deal with all high and mighty and his Nazi-German sidekick" Johnson huffed under his breath.

"Give it a rest man" Harrington grumbled angrily.

"Or what?" Johnson glared in response. "Gonna send Barnes after me to defend his girlfriend?"

Bucky saw that Agent Faust was rolling her eyes heavily. He and Harrington were the only people there who still knew she could understand what they were saying. Harrington didn't know at first, but had the brains to put two and two together after realizing that he had been talking to her on and off. His friend looked over at him and just shook his head, almost as if he knew exactly what he was thinking. It was taking everything inside of him right now not to tackle him to the ground himself.

McPherson looked over at the scene and then back at Agent Faust. "Private Johnson" he suddenly spoke and smiled. Johnson looked at him in confusion. "Thank you for volunteering. Please step forward." Johnson looked around, frowning and still confused, but did as he said.

"You sure you want to do this?" McPherson suddenly turned to Agent to whisper. Instead of answering, she looked directly at him and walked over to stand in front of Johnson.

"Oh great" Johnson mumbled rolling his eyes again. "Got something to say to me sweetheart? If so, we don't speak you Nazi language." Agent Faust kept silent with her hands in her pockets.

"Private Johnson, if you please. Try and punch Agent Faust here" McPherson told him. Bucky's face fell and his heart beat quickened. What the hell was going on? The captain wanted Johnson to punch Agent Faust? Why?

Johnson looked at the Captain in disbelief for a moment and began to laugh out loud as did some of the other recruits. "You sure about that Captain?"

"Positive" McPherson said simply.

Bucky felt himself going numb. He couldn't let this happen at all. He saw her eyes flick to his own and he could see that she was barely shaking her head. It caused him to frown.

Still, he began to take a step forward, but was grabbed by Harrington. "Don't" he muttered. "I think your girl's got this." He had seen her protest as well.

Johnson looked Agent Faust up and down closely. "You know, my parents taught that I should never hit a girl" he began looking at her. "But they never said anything about Nazi girls." With that he quickly raised a fist to punch her. Instead of hitting her, she moved to the side, grabbed his arm, twisting it around, and kicked the back of his legs, sending him to the ground. The soldier looked at her wide-eyed from the ground, while the rest of the recruits were shell shocked.

"And that gentlemen is why you should never underestimate any German. Man or woman. You never know what they could do" Agent Faust let out a breath, putting her hands on her hips. "Or understand."

"Holy shit. I don't know what I'm more impressed by" Bucky heard Samson exclaim. "The fact that she just kicked Johnson's ass or that she speaks perfect English."

He looked over to where she was. Agent Faust gave him a smirk. "She speaks four languages actually. German, French, Polish, and English" Bucky answered smiling brightly staring right at Agent Faust. "She's also learning Russian, but she's having trouble with it." If he already wasn't intrigued and curious about her, he was now. What a woman, he thought.

* * *

Béatrice sat across from Alexander at a table at a nearby bar. The two of them decided to partake in the night off for the camp and head to the bar for some much needed time away from their jobs. She looked around at the recruits enjoying themselves and their night of freedom. There were a few young ladies at the bar as well chatting away and flirting with many of the soldiers. Her eyes found Private Barnes who was busy flirting with some blonde. The two of them were smiling and laughing, which only caused her eyes to roll.

Soon, her thoughts turned darker. Her mind found itself way back to the letter from her father. She was worried about her family more than ever. Things were not right at home in Germany. It seemed out of the ordinary for Hitler to come to her family home. For someone else to come home as well. There was more to the puzzle than any of them realized. Did the Nazi's know of her father's involvement with the Allies? Did they know she wasn't actually in France studying?

"Here's to being halfway through your punishment" Alexander announced snapping her out of her thoughts. He held up his glass of whiskey awaiting her to do the same.

Rolling her eyes, she proceeded to raise her own glass and clink it with his own."Here, here" she spoke up before putting it to her lips and downing the whole thing. As the liquid went down her throat, she made a face in disgust. "God you Americans and your alcohol. It's horrible. Don't you know know what good alcohol is?"

"We can't all be spoiled with champagne and the best liquor the world has to offer" he glared playfully at her. She only shrugged at him slightly and looked down at the table. It was clear she was deep in thought about something. Something was bothering her. He looked around and saw Private Barnes in a corner on the other side of the room, laughing with a blonde and drinking. Perhaps, he had finally done something to her worthy of punching him. He had to admit Barnes was a good soldier and would make a fine officer in the war, but he still went back and forth on his feelings towards him when it came to Béatrice. He knew Barnes's type. He was an obvious heart breaker and probably set his sight on multiple girls jumping from one to another at any given time. Still, his eyes had been set on his friend and he had been persistent over the last four weeks of training. That had to mean something didn't it?

The blonde sat back in his chair and continued to observe his friend who was somewhere else completely. Her eyes flicked up at Private Barnes and her fingers began to graze the top of her glass before going back to the table.

"Certain soldier got you down?" he smirked causing her to jump slightly.

"What" she frowned at him in confusion. He motioned his head towards where Private Barnes was sitting causing her to groan in response."It has nothing to do with Barnes" she protested. She then pulled out the envelope from her pocket and slide it to her friend on the table.

"I didn't know you got another letter" the captain frowned grabbing it. He opened it and pulled the letters, separating them. He put the two smaller pieces of paper on top of the weather report and began to read the letter from her father. The blonde's eyes frowned further as his eyes skimmed the page. He looked up at her in surprise once finished "This isn't the normal type of letter you get, is it?"

"It's not" the brunette sighed shaking her head.

His eyes then flicked to the two smaller pieces of paper on the table. He picked one of the up and unfolded it. "Neugieriger und neugieriger" Alexander frowned reading the small slip of paper. ""Curiouser and Curiouser? Isn't that from a kids book."

The brunette nodded her head. " _Alice's Abenteuer im Wunderland_ or as you Americans would know it as _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_ "she explained. "It's another code my father and I came up with. It means he was being watched when he was writing the letter. I decoded the weather report, but as to how accurate the information is I can't say."

Alexander sighed and took the second piece of paper that was under the first. "Cheshire-Katze" he read quietly reading the second slip of paper. "The Cheshire Cat. What does that stand for?"

" _He's_ back" Béatrice replied looking directly at him.

Alexander eyes widened greatly at the comment. He knew exactly who _he_ was referring to. This changed everything. The pieces were being set for the next step in their great game. The blonde took a deep sigh and looked at both letters, shaking his head. "Béatrice, I don't mean to frighten you, but this could be very very dangerous for your family. If Hitler or _he_ even suspects for a moment..."

"I'm well aware of what it means Alexander. Don't you think I know what this means. I am aware of how dangerous this is. My family's safety has always been my number one priority throughout this. I have begged, pleaded for months and months to get them out of there. Instead I get told to wait. It's not the right time. I have to have patience. I can't stand it." With that she grabbed his glass, and downed the rest of his own drink. She coughed slightly as she slammed the glass down on the table. Looking over at him, her friend had a sad expression on his face. He raised his hand and rain his fingers through his blonde locks, sighing heavily.

"I'm sorry. I know it's not you're fault...I'm...I'm just frustrated" Béatrice looked at him apologetically.

"I know" Alexander nodded his head. "I've been pushing for months as well. I don't understand it either. You've been at this for over a year. I'll handle giving Phillips this and I'll talk to him. Things have changed. We need to act faster."

"Thank you" she gave him a small smile. "I appreciate what a loyal friend you've been throughout this. I don't know what I would have done without you."

The blonde smirked and shook his head. "You would have been just fine. So how about another drink?"

Béatrice wrinkled her nose up in protest. "No thank you. I think I've had enough of American alcohol to last a lifetime. I think I'm going to head back to camp. I'm tired. It's been a long day"

"You sure?" he asked in response only getting a nod from her. "Alright then, I'll walk you back" he continued as he started to get up from his seat.

"No" she protested shaking her head. "Stay. Have fun. I'll be fine."

 _"Béatrice..."_ his eyebrows raised, looking at her disapprovingly.

 _"Alexander..."_ she shot back giving him a similar look. "I'll be fine. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, she grabbed her coat and stood up from the table. She walked over towards the door, receiving looks from many of the recruits, who were even more fascinated by her after the display from earlier in the day. Almost like clockwork, Private Barnes immediately got up, grabbed his coat, and headed straight to the door, leaving the blonde his was talking to alone. The blonde huffed and glared being left alone before turning her attention to another nearby recruit.

Alexander just chuckled shaking his head at the scene. "Jesus Christ. Guy doesn't know when to give up does he?" He raised his head and flagged down the bartender. "Another please" he called out. He was going to need it.

* * *

Béatrice walked outside of the bar. The winter breeze was cold, causing her to pull her jacket closer to her body. It was about a mile walk back to camp, not that she minded. She'd be back in no time. She began to walk towards the road.

"Leaving already?" she heard a voice call out causing her to stop. She sighed, knowing exactly who was behind her .

Turning around she came face to face with no one other than Private Barnes. "Is that a problem?" she eyed him closely.

"Yes because I was planning on buying you a drink" he smirked walking closer to her.

The cold wind hit her face sharply causing her to look in its direction. "Perhaps another time" Béatrice turned her attention back to the soldier.

He walked even closer to her and looked at her in concern. "Are you okay? Earlier today when we bumped into one another you seemed upset. Captain McPherson isn't bothering you is he?"

"Alexander?" she frowned up at him causing him to frown at the use of his superior officer's first name. "Oh goodness no. He's a perfect gentlemen and we're very good friends. Besides he's engaged. It's nothing you need to concern yourself with."

"You still seemed pretty upset. Do you want to talk about it? I've been told I'm a good listener" he gave her a small smiled.

She avoided his gaze after that. "No thank you. It's nothing" she whispered.

He sighed heavily. She was a hard one to break that was for sure. "Okay, just let me walk you back then. It's cold."

"I've been through much colder weather" Béatrice's eyes flicked up towards his own.

"It's dark" Bucky shot back almost instantly.

She shot him a glare and huffed. "I think after your training today, it's obvious I'm more than capable of taking care of myself."

Bucky let out a loud groan in frustration. "Are you this infuriating with all the men who are nice to you or am I just special?" he huffed.

"Bit of both actually" she smirked in response.

"Look we don't have to talk about what got you so upset today. You can keep denying it, but I know something was bothering you" Bucky exclaimed at her. "You don't have to tell me. I can talk the whole way back for all I care. You can just keep silent. I'm just trying to be nice. Can you put aside whatever you have against nice people and just let me make sure you get back to camp safely."

She stared at him silently for a moment, almost as she was studying him. "Mitkommen" she motioned her head and turned to walk.

Bucky blinked at her and stared at her in confusion. She was speaking German and he had no inkling as to what had come out of her mouth. "I don't understand what you said at all."

"You need to learn some German then" she called out turning around to face him. "Mitkommen. It means come along. So come along and walk me back to camp. Unless you need to get back to your blonde friend."

He flashed her a grin and followed after her. The two of them walked in silence for a few moments until the soldier spoke. "What did you say in German again?"

"Mitkommen. Come along" she answered smiling slightly.

"Mit-ka..." he stopped before even finishing.

Béatrice laughed as he struggled with the pronunciation. "You're already saying it wrong" she stopped walking. "Mit-kom-men."

"Mit-kom-men" he repeated after her.

"There you go" she smiled at him. "Your first German word." He smiled happily as the two of them fell into silence once more. The German pushed her lips together and then smirked as she thought of what to say next.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You looked as though you were getting along with the pretty blonde" she looked over at him putting her hands in her jacket pocket to keep them warm.

"She was okay. She was also just saying what I wanted to hear" he shrugged in response. "I prefer brunettes. Dark curly hair. Dark eyes and someone who's going to speak their mind. It got old a while ago when girls would only say what they thought I wanted to hear. That's more of what I look for in a woman" he looked over at her to see she was avoiding his gaze. "What about you? I'm sure a pretty girl like you had her far share of dates and figured out what you liked."

"Not really" she shook her head in response. "I was more interested in books than anything else. Didn't really make the time for dates. I went to parties, but I don't think they were what you would consider parties. They were more like big family gatherings."

Part of Bucky wasn't surprised by that confession at all. However, another part was. Agent Faust was beautiful, surely she would have caught at least someone's eye. "What's your favorite book then if you read so much?"

" _Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland"_ she smiled at him.

Bucky stopped in his tracks and just smirked at her. He chuckled slightly, which only caused the brunette to glare at him.

"You're making fun of me" she spoke stopping as well. She rolled her eyes and began to continue to walk.

"I'm sorry I don't mean to" he gently grabbed her arm stopping her. "It's a good book. It is. But I don't know I guess I just didn't expect it. I thought you would have gone for some French poetry or master works by a British author. Not a children's book based around the concept of nonsense."

"Well you don't really know me that well" she looked at him, smirking.

"I'd like to" he breathed staring at her. She kept silent and turned to walk. Bucky followed after her and smirked. "Can you teach me some more German?" he ran to catch up with her, causing her to laugh and nod her head.

* * *

It took the pair longer than what it should have to walk back to camp, but they got caught up in conversation and Béatrice teaching Bucky some basic German phrases. She taught him how to say 'Hello', 'Please', 'Thank you', and at his request how to order a drink. The two were laughing as they approached her quarters, laughing as he continued to prononce the words he had just learned. He was getting the hang of it, but still needed much practice.

"Now you know some basic phrases" Béatrice smiled as the stopped in front of her quarters at the bottom of the steps. "German's not the prettiest language, but I'm sure you'll impress someone with it."

"Or maybe I just will use if when I come face to face with some Nazi's" he shrugged, smirking at her. "Thank you for teaching me."

"Thank you for walking me back" she smiled at him, shyly.

"It was my pleasure" he nodded his head at her. "Have a good rest of the evening Agent Faust."

Béatrice licked her lips as he began to turn and took a deep breath, praying she wouldn't regret what she was about to. "Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?" she blurted out. She didn't know what had come over her or why she thought it would be a good idea, but she pushed any pesky reasons to not do it away.

He turned back around to face the brunette and smirked, raising his eyebrows. "Is that even proper?" he asked.

Béatrice rolled her eyes playfully and returned a smirk. "The way I see it, it's more of a thank you for walking a superior officer home. Besides no one's even around. What the Army doesn't know won't hurt it" she leaned against the door frame. Bucky stood there silently for a moment, contemplating this next move. He didn't know what took him so long to speak or to move because he already knew his answer the moment she asked him the question. He began to walk back towards her, his eyes narrowing at her.

"In that case, I'd love to" he finally replied. Béatrice gave him a small smile and turned to walk up the steps to her quarters with Bucky right behind her. He was surprised by her offer, but he felt a sense of excitement. Opening the door, he followed her inside. The room was small, but neat in tidy. It had a bed that was neatly made and beside it a few bookshelves that had a few books and what appeared to be a stack of letters. He watched as she made her way over to a small stove on the other side of the room and began to tinker away at getting tea made.

A picture frame caught his eye as he continued to skim the room. Walking over to the dresser where it sat, he reached over and picked it up. It was a picture of her and two other people. Both of whom she looked like. He automatically assumed it was her family. He wondered if they were still in Germany or had left as did she.

"I only seem to have peppermint tea, will that be alright?" he heard her suddenly ask.

"I guess? Uh.. to be honest, I'm not really much of a tea drinker" he said setting the frame down and turning his head to her.

She chuckled quietly at him. "Most of you Americans aren't. You typically drink coffee" she said bringing over a teapot, cups, and setting them down on a nearby table.

"We did until the rationing began. They took away the good stuff and now you're lucky if you can get a decent cup of it anywhere" he walked over to the table.

"I've noticed a lot of that when I've been traveling. When I was in England last, they were trying to cut back on luxuries in order to help the war effort. It's harder for some then others" she replied.

"Do you travel a lot?" he suddenly looked up at her.

Her eyes flicked up at him and she gave him a vague look. "Depends on where I'm needed. The tea's ready, so please have a seat." She sat down as did he and she handed him a teacup, which he took setting it on the table.

"Danke" he said nodding his head at her. She smiled at his use of the German word, quite pleased with herself for some strange reason. She grabbed the nearby teapot and poured some into his own cup and then her own.

She looked up at him and noticed him staring at her curiously. Another one of his infamous smirks was forming on his lips. "You're staring. I can almost hear you thinking, what is it?" she commented suddenly.

"Nothing" the soldier shrugged playfully at her. "It's just I walk you home. We had a nice conversation. You taught me some German. We're now sitting down for some tea. I feel that we're at the point in our relationship where I deserve a name."

She left out a small huff and a smirk formed on her face. She pushed her lips together and let out a sigh. "Béatrice" she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"I'm sorry?"

"That's my name. Béatrice."

"Béatrice" Bucky breathed as her name rolled of his lips. It made him smile somewhat. He finally got her name and for some reason it was perfect for her. "Now I'm no expert, but that really doesn't sound German" his eyes narrowed at her.

"It's French actually" Béatrice said as she setting down the tea pot. "My mother was French and my father was German. They met in a bookshop. My mother was reading William Shakespeare's _Much Ado About Nothing_. Have you read it?" Bucky only shook his head at her taking a sip of tea. He was surprised at how it tasted. He actually quite liked it. Not as good as coffee, but a decent substitute at that.

"Well it's a wonderful play about two people who fight constantly and are at odds with one another" she continued looking at him. "However, eventually they realize they are both madly in love with one another. One of the main characters is named Beatrice. She's very witty and strong. It was always a favorite of my mothers and when I was born the name stuck."

Bucky gave her a smile smile "Knowing that, the name suits you then."

Her brows furrowed at his comment, unsure of what he meant. Instead of asking for clarification, however, she asked something else. "Have you read any of Shakespeare's work?" she asked picking up her own teacup and taking a sip.

Bucky shook his head slightly. "Not much. I did read _Romeo and Juliet_ in school, but it was more to just impress the girls."

"Ah so I did judge your character correctly" she laughed holding her teacup closer to her.

"Now what's that suppose to mean?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

"You have a habit of getting the attention of women quite quickly and frequently. You proved that tonight with your blonde friend" she smirked taking another sip of tea.

"I can't help that dames can't resist a pretty face like mine. It just happens and stuff like _Romeo and Juliet_ helped" he shrugged playfully at her.

"Hmmm...if you were really trying to impress young women, you should have gone for the sonnets instead. Much better way of sweeping a girl off her feet. Many of them are quite beautiful" she shrugged before the two of them fell into silence for a moment.

"So..." he began tracing the top of the teacup with his finger and looking up. "I got your name finally. I know you like reading. Any chance you want to tell me more about yourself. You've got me interested now."

Béatrice rolled her eyes at his comment. "I'm really not that interesting" she replied.

"I doubt that" he flashed a smirk at her. "You're a young, strong, beautiful, may I add, woman in the military." He noticed her blush at his comment about being beautiful, but her face soon fell.

"And I'm German" she said quietly looking down at her teacup and back up at him. "That's probably the most interesting thing about it all."

"You're more than just a German though" he replied immediately. His comment had taken her aback for a moment and he mentally yelled at himself for being so brash about it, but it was true, so he did the only thing he could think of. "When I look at you, being German is one of the last things I even think about. When I look at you, I see a strong young woman who despite reasons unknown to me is fighting for something she believes in on a side that people don't think she needs to be on. You're kind, quiet, infuriating, witty, and very mysterious that it makes me so damn curious about you. You're so much more than a German."

Béatrice had a blank expression on her face as she blinked at him. She slowly opened her mouth as to respond, but nothing came out. Bucky felt his own cheeks flush as he recited what he had just said in his head. He must have made himself look like a fool. He was much smoother than this. What was happening to him.

Soon her eyes lit up and she nodded her head, trying to hold back a smile. "What would you like to know?"

"Anything really" he shrugged at her feeling desperate for anything he could get in the moment.

She sighed and her lips twitched to the side as she contemplated what to say. "Well I was born in Munich on October 31, 1922" she started. "My mother was originally from a small town in Normandy called Grandcamp-Maisy. My father was born in Berlin and studied mathematics in Paris, which is where he met my mother. He was getting his degree and teaching. They got married and moved to Munich, so he could teach. Had me eventually and when I was three we moved to Berlin. We've been there since, until I left last year. My mother taught me to speak French and I learned Polish from school friends. "

"Any siblings or is it just you?" he asked taking another sip of tea.

Her face fell. She stared at him quietly for a moment as she asked herself the question over and over again. He sat back in his seat and watched her closely. She appeared to be somewhere else for a time, almost if she was trying to figure out how to answer his question.

"One" she finally spoke quietly. My older brother, Christoph. He's five years older than me"

"Is he still in Germany? Or did he leave as you did?" he continued.

"He's gone" she blinked looking at him.

That explained her expression. It was a painful question. His curiosity possibly brought up some painful memories for her. He felt like an idiot for doing so. He didn't meant to upset her at all. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"No, no, it's fine" she shook her head quickly. "You didn't know. What about you? Tell me about yourself" she quickly changed the subject.

"I was born in Indiana. March 10, 1917. Family moved to New York a few years after I was born. Grew up in Brooklyn" he began. "I have a sister named Rebecca, who I thought of when you told me you liked Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland. I was laughing cause I remember reading that book with her when we were growing up nonstop. She loved it." He noticed the smile rise on her face as he mentioned Rebecca. She would like Béatrice, he already knew she would. "My best friend is named Steve. We met in school. He was getting beat up by some bullies and the kid just never can seem to run away from a fight, so I saved him and we've been friends ever since. He's been through a lot though. Sick over the years and really small hence why he can't be here with him. His mom past a few years ago and he stayed with us since then. He's really more than a friend. He's my brother." After talking about Steve, Bucky felt himself feel sad. He really wished his best friend was here. He'd probably lose his mind over the fact that he was having tea with a German beauty right now.

By the time he finished Béatrice had a fist resting under her chin. She smiled brightly at him. "Another character trait I was right about."

"What's that" he replied leaning forward.

"You're a good friend. You care about people deeply. Do anything for them" she said as she leaned back in her chair. "Why did you want to join the Army?"

He pushed his lips together and sat his teacup down. "When Pearl Harbor was attacked and I read how many people were killed, I...I just felt like I needed to do something worthwhile. Serving my country to protect it seemed like a pretty good way to do it and when Steve was rejected for service...I had even more of a reason to do it."

"As I said, you're a good friend" she told him once he was done. "You're very noble."

"Hmm, good friend yes. Noble? I'm not so sure" he shrugged. "What about you? Why did you side with us instead of your home nation?"

"I grew up in a community that was predominantly Jewish" Béatrice answered immediately. "Most of my friends growing up were Jewish. When Hitler started to come to power and released all those..." she stopped and took a deep breath. "...horrible lies, I realized it wasn't right. Who gets to decide what is considered a superior race. We are all human beings. It shouldn't matter where we come from. We are people regardless. No one should have that power. Ever."

Bucky was taken aback by her answer. Early on, he assumed she just wanted a way to get out easily. However, there was more to it than he ever imagine. He had heard rumors of what was happening to the Jewish population. The ghettos, the disappearances, the rules and regulations. It felt more real to him now hearing about it from her. "I'd say after hearing that you're more noble than what I am. Any chance you're going to tell me what you do or even how you got out?"

"It's...complicated to explain" she replied simply, grinning mischievously..

Bucky rolled his eyes playfully at her. "Or you just can't tell me."

"That too" she laughed at his expression. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine" his told her quietly. "I get it. Whatever you do, you must be good at it, if even _I_ can't get it out of you. Usually girls are willing to give up their secrets to me. Perks of being a ladies man I guess, but you seem to be immune to my charms."

She let out a laugh and just shrugged. "Maybe you'll find out one day. Once you're done with training and work you're way up."

"Now that seems like a good goal to have" he gave her a big smile. "Especially if it means I get to see you more than just here." Her eyes widened at the comment and as she began to open her mouth to asked him why he would want to see her again, she was stopped by the loud noise that was coming from outside. It sounded as though many of the officers and recruits were returning from the bar.

"I suppose you should go. I don't want you to get into trouble because of me" Bucky said standing up, preparing to leave. "Thank you for the tea and the conversation. I enjoyed both."

Béatrice stood up as well and led him to the door. "You're welcome. I enjoyed it as well."

Bucky bit his lip and took a deep breath. He had one final question for the German girl he had just spent the evening with and he was hoping that what he was about to ask would not end up backfiring on him. "Can I see you again?" he blurted out quickly.

She chuckled at his question almost as it was a stupid question. "You'll see me around camp I'm sure" she replied smiling. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, I assure you."

"No I mean like this" he shook his head at her. "Just the two of us."

Her eyes grew wide as he clarified. Béatrice didn't know what to think. Why did he want to keep seeing her? How was she suppose to respond to this? This was the most attention she had received from a young man besides Alexander or someone who needed her to decode letters from her father. Perhaps she should see things through. Why did she have to lose? She had another few weeks before training would be over and she would be shipped off to God knows where. It wasn't the most logical thing, but life was short she learned. She wasn't going to wait around anymore. Slowly, she nodded her head. "I'll get a message to you as to when and where" she continued to look at him.

Bucky felt his face turn to a slight frown in confusion. "How?"

"I have my methods. I've been kept around due to certain skill sets I've acquired" she smirked at him. "Let me worry about that."

His smile grew into a wide grin as he laughed. "Alright then. I look forward to it."

"As do I...James" she gave him a smile in return.

"James now is it" his face fell playfully and his eyebrows rose. "Now that definitely isn't proper by your standard."

"Being proper can sometimes be boring. Especially between two people who are now friends" she told him simply.

"So we're friends now?" he asked leaning an arm against the door frame.

"Is that acceptable?" she raised her own eyebrows at him.

Bucky's lip twitched and he pushed this together, before opening the door to go outside. "For now." With that he quickly walked away before Béatrice could say anything. The comment left her dumbfounded completely, contemplating what the hell the American meant by that.

She blinked twice before just shaking her head in disbelief. "Americans" she sighed deeply before shutting her door.

 **There you have it! Thanks for all the favs, alerts, and reviews! Keep them coming! It makes me happy to see them all. If you want to let me know what you think, please do. Love hearing from you all! Read and review!**

 **Guest replies:**

 **CJ/OddBall: Thanks for your review! Glad you are enjoying everything and like this take of it. Johnson got his ass kicked and by Béatrice. It was very satisfying to write. We'll see if he learned his lesson. When you wrote "You-know-who" I automatically thought of Voldemort for some reason. I love that nickname. I might not be able to use the reference for this story, but I might steal it for Long and Lost. You're absolutely right though. There were plenty of Germans against Hitler and his government, hence why many hid Jews across Europe.**

 **Fan: I have updated and glad you love it so much!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize**

"YOU DID WHAT?" Alexander exclaimed with his mouth wide open staring at Béatrice in complete and utter shock. Her friend didn't know what to say as she had finished telling him about the rest of her evening after leaving the bar. How it had consisted of spending time with James that eventually ended with the two of them deciding to spend time with one another further. "Why...how...are you sure that alcohol didn't affect your judgement?"

The German brunette just looked at him with narrow eyes and a look of displeasure. She sighed and rolled her eyes. She didn't really understand why he was reacting this way. "I don't see why you are making such a fuss about this. He's quite...charming." A small smile formed upon her lips, which only caused Alexander to groan loudly.

He sat back in his seat and just shook his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Who was this woman in front of him? Where had Béatrice gone? The woman he knew would have never done something like this ever. "I don't know what I should be making a fuss about more the fact that you actually had enough courage to be so bold with him or that he's clearly trying to make the moves on you." He fell silent for a moment before he began to shake his head quickly. "That's it. I've decided. I'm going to find him and punch him." He quickly got up from his seat, prompting Béatrice to jump up and go over to him.

She quickly put her hands on his shoulders, stopping him. You're going to do no such thing Alexander McPherson" she glared at him, pushing him back into his seat.

"But..." he made a face protesting.

"I appreciate the concern Alexander. I really do, but I can handle one soldier" she continued. "He's a friend. Just like you."

Alexander moved forward and looked at her curiously. "Just a friend?" he repeated. "You sure about that?"

"Yes" she huffed turning to go back to her own seat at the table. "A friend."

His face of curiosity soon turned into that of a smirked grin. "Well friends can turn into something more you know."

She was well aware of that. Of course she was. The thought had crossed her mind after he had left. Especially after hearing his 'for now' comment. Things could always turn into something more, but something was against her. Time. The timing was not right. "It's not like that" Béatrice snapped in response sighing. "Besides if it did, what's the point? He's leaving in a few weeks. I'm hopefully going to be going back to Europe. Chances are we'll never see each other again. It's just a friendship. Nothing more. Nothing less."

"Alright" her friend told her almost immediately. He didn't look completely convinced, but she didn't want to push the matter further. Neither did he. Still, Alexander knew what he had to do. Béatrice wouldn't like it, but what she knew would hurt her. However, Private Barnes would tell her, but that was something he'd deal with later. He would feel much better doing what he felt what best for his good friend. She was family and family had to be protected. He then stood up and grabbed his hat, preparing to leave.

"Where are you going?" Béatrice frowned and prepared to stand up herself, ready to hold him back if she needed to again.

He held up his hand and shook his head. "I only have work to do. I'll see you this afternoon."

She nodded her head in response and then bit her lip. She was still worried that he would do something to James, "Alexander if you see Barnes, promise you'll be nice" she looked up at him.

Alexander sighed heavily, but nodded his head, giving her a small smile. "I promise. If I see your precious Private Barnes. I will be nice. I swear on my future with Evelyn. Not a hair touched on his pretty head."

* * *

As Bucky ran during his morning jog with the other recruits, he couldn't keep a smile off of his face. He knew he probably looked like an idiot with the stupid grin on his face, but he just couldn't help it. Spending time with Agent Faust...Béatrice...it just awoken something in him. He couldn't get their conversations out of his head from the night before. He kept picturing her smile in his mind. She really wasn't like anyone he had eve met before. She wasn't easy. She wasn't interested in the normal things girls back home were. She didn't have a boy crazy attitude and wasn't making herself seem desperate just to get his attention. It was a change he wasn't used to, but it was a good change.

Finishing up with his run, he caught up with Samson and Harrington. The two men were in conversation about letters that had received from family members and their plans once training was over. However, Bucky did not partake in the conversation. Immediately, his eyes were drawn to something else. Captain McPherson. The blonde was staring directly at him. His eyes were narrowed curiously at him. This wasn't a good sign at all. Somehow, Bucky had found himself on the bad side of the captain and he didn't understand why.

"Private Barnes" he suddenly called out, his eyes still directly on Bucky's. "A word?"

"What'd you do?" Samson looked over at him in confusion as did Harrington.

Bucky's brows furrowed in confusion. "Nothing" he said as confidently as he could. However, he felt his confidence slowly draining from him. What did McPherson want with him? He walked over to the captain slowly. He wasn't sure what to prepare for, but he was preparing himself for anything. To be yelled out. Punched. Thrown out of the military for being "involved" with a superior officer.

As he approached McPherson, his lips formed a smirk. "Walk with me Private." The blonde motioned for him to follow and Bucky did so. McPherson kept silent as the two walked through the camp, away from any wandering ears. Clearly, this was a conversation that he did not want anyone else to hear..

He felt himself starting to get more and more nervous. The silence was killing him. "Can I ask what this is about?" Bucky suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. "Have I done something?"

"Not yet" McPherson stopped, turning to him. "I understand you and Agent Faust had an eventful evening together and that you two plan on continuing to see each other."

Bucky avoided his gaze for a moment, but then looked him directly in the eye. It was time to stop being intimidated by McPherson. He hadn't done anything wrong. "I don't see how that's any of your concern"

"Béatrice is my concern" the captain snapped in response. He took a deep breath and looked Bucky up and down silently. "I'll admit I keep going back and forth on how I feel about you, but that still won't stop me from telling you this. You try anything with her. Anything at all. Take advantage of her. Make her feel uncomfortable. Lead her on. I'll make sure by the time I'm done with you, the Army will have never heard of a James Buchanan Barnes. Is that clear?"

Bucky swallowed the lump that had been forming in his throat as McPherson threatened him. "Crystal" he told him. McPherson looked him over one last time, before turning to leave. He was a few feet away from Bucky when he decided to open his mouth one last time.

"But I won't do any of those things to her. I promise" he called out. "The last thing I want to do is hurt her. I've never met anyone like her. She's special and deserves to be treated as such. I'm not just saying that. I mean it."

McPherson didn't turn around to face him at all. He just stood with his back to him the entire time. It took a few moments, but eventually he did start to walk once more, making sure that Private Barnes didn't see the smile on his face after hearing his promise to treat his friend well. Regardless of what happened between Béatrice and Private Barnes, Alexander McPherson had nothing to worry about. For now at least.

* * *

Captain McPheron's words kept replaying over and over in Bucky's head as he walked back to his quarters. Any normal person probably would have felt shaken over a conversation like that. The captain had, in not so many words, threatened to kill him more than likely. However, it didn't. It only made him feel more determined. He had four weeks of training left and he was going to make the most of his training and his time with Béatrice.

Four weeks.

It finally hit him. That's all they had left together. He had another four weeks before he left and headed back to Brooklyn. It would. He still didn't even know what she did. There was a large possibility that they would never see one another again. So if this was the case then why was he so insistent on continuing whatever they were starting? It wasn't logical and probably wasn't fair to either of them. Part of him wanted to just end it here and now. But there was a bigger part of him that told him to see this through. Not to give up. That part of him won out in the end. They could be just friends? Couldn't they? What if he didn't want to be? What if he wanted to be move? What if she did? He groaned silently in frustration walking back into his quarters. He was thinking too much.

"Everything okay?" Harrington asked noticing the look of worry on Bucky's face as he walked back over to his bunk.

Bucky nodded silently and looked at his bed. Sighing, he was on the verge of just flopping onto it to take a nap before his next training session. Maybe that would make him stop thinking. However, before he could, something caught his eye. Something was sticking out from his pillow. Frowning, he leaned forward and pulled it out. It was a folded piece of paper and it definitely wasn't there when he left for the morning. He pulled it to in front of his face and saw that something was written on the front of it and elegant cursive and saw that beside it was a drawing of a small rabbit.

 _Follow the white rabbit._

He felt himself smirking at it. Automatically, he knew who it was from. Starting to unfold the piece of paper, he saw another drawing of a rabbit. He unfolded the next section of it and another small rabbit appeared. This occurred two more times before the paper was fully unfolded and he saw the message inside, causing him to smile.

 _9:00 South side of camp by the fence._

"Someone's got a date tonight" he heard Harrington say directly behind him, causing Bucky to jump. He looked at the other recruit in disbelief and rolled his eyes.

"It's not like that" he said shaking his head and folding the piece of paper up before putting it in his pocket.

"Mhmmm" Samson suddenly poked his head out from one of the top bunks, grinning at him mischievously.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Bucky shot him a look.

Harrington rolled his eyes at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've been saying that for four weeks, but your actions have been saying something else. Admit it Barnes, you like her."

"We're just friends" Bucky protested looking at Harrington.

"If I had a dime for every time I heard that from any man, I'd be rich" Samson interjected, climbing down from the top bunk. "You might be friends now, but that doesn't mean you're going to stay friends."

Bucky rolled his eyes and sighed. All his thoughts telling him no were coming back "We're leaving soon."

"So?" Harrington shrugged at him, appearing to not understand the problem. "When I met my wife she was three states over. We worked things out."

"I don't know what she does" Bucky said sitting on his bed.

"Would it matter?" Samson asked looking down at him.

Bucky shrugged at him. The more he thought about it, the more obstacles he was coming up with in his head. He wished Steve was there. He would know what to say in this situation.

Harrington and Samson looked at one another, shaking their heads. "Look, Barnes. Stop thinking so much. Maybe instead of just worrying about the future, think about the here and now. You got four weeks left. Make the most of it. What happens, happens" Harrington told him.

"Joe's right" Samson nodded in agreement. "You've been chasing this girl for weeks for some ungodly reason and now you want to just give up? Look, Joe and I will cover for you tonight. Just go be with her. Give her that Barnes charm that has finally started to work. Must be a reason why she's doing this. Maybe she's interested in you too."

Bucky laid down on his bed and looked at the note from Béatrice. Harrington and Samson were right. His previous thoughts from earlier were right. Whatever would happen would happen. He was going to make to the most of it. Whatever _it_ was.

* * *

At nearly 9:00, Bucky made his way to the south side of camp as Béatrice had instructed. All his pesky thoughts from earlier were gone for now. He was excited to be able to spend more time together, just the two of him. He felt himself staring to grin like an idiot again as he was earlier. He felt good about this. Confident about it. However, that confident slowly died as he reached the fence. No one was there. He looked at his watch. It was 9:00 exactly. He looked around. Nobody was around at all.

"You're out past curfew you know soldier" he heard a voice say causing him to jump and turn around. Behind him stood, Béatrice with of course a cigarette in hand.

"Well I've been given special permission by a superior officer" he smirked walking over to her. She raised her eyebrows at him, keeping silent and taking a puff of the cigarette eyeing him closely.

"Hello Béatrice" he smiled at her.

"James" she smirked at him in return taking another another puff of her cigarette.

He walked over to her and took the cigarette from her mouth, putting it in his own, taking a puff. "Anyone tell you, you smoke a lot?"

"I know" she shrugged at him. "It's a terrible habit I've picked up since being here. Calms my nerves."

He smirked at her again, which caused shivers to crawl up her spine. "Do I make you nervous Agent Faust?"

"Of course not" she said grabbing the cigarette from him and taking a puff. "It's just been a long day."

"Are you ever going to tell me what you do?" Bucky eyed her closely. She smirked at him, keeping silent the entire time. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "You are one hard dame to crack. I hope you're getting paid enough. Just promise me it's nothing dangerous."

Béatrice continued to stare at him. She debated what she would tell him. Of course her work was dangerous, but if she had told him it was, she would have to divulge what she did and she couldn't do that. She put the cigarette back up to her mouth and inhaled deeply. "It's not dangerous."

Bucky breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't have to worry about her being in danger wherever she ended up. He walked closer to her to the point where he was only inches away from her. "So what do we do now?" he asked.

She smiled up at him, her dark eyes locking with his. She dropped the cigarette on to the ground and stepped on it. "Follow me." She turned and Bucky with an intrigued look on his face followed. She walked over to the fence and pulled back an area of metal that had been cut, creating a flap and a hole in the fence. He looked at her in confusion. "There's a method to my madness, I promise" she said noticing the look on his face and laughing slightly.

"Lead the way then" he told her. She nodded and lifted the flap up and crawled through the hole. When she was half way through, Bucky grabbed it, lifting it to make sure she got through before following suit. Once they were out, there was nothing but a large field ahead of them. She began to walk and he followed. The entire time, he wondered where they were going.

"Tell me" she suddenly spoke. "How was your day?"

He smirked slightly at the question. He took a deep breath and rubbed a hand on the back of his head. "Your buddy Captain McPherson and I had an...interesting conversation earlier today."

Béatrice stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide. "Oh no" she breathed. "Please tell me he was nice to you. I told him we would be meeting and I told him to be civil."

He bit his lip and made a face in response. "I think he may have threatened to kill me in not so many words."

"Ugh Alexander" she groaned loudly.

"It's fine" Bucky laughed at her reaction. "He's very protective of you. I get it."

She only shrugged at him as she began to walk once more. "I think that has to do with the fact that no one really knows what to make of me. You've seen the reaction people have towards me."

He looked over at her. "People are idiots" he told her. "They just need to get to know you. Can I asked how you met old grumpy pants anyway."

She nodded her head at him and stayed quiet for a moment. "I met Alexander when I first joined. To be honest, I think he was a little freaked out by me. He had just started dating his now fiance, Evelyn. He had it in his head that every woman would be flirting with him and his relationship with Evelyn would be ruined. I shut that down very quickly and knocked some sense into him. Then we worked together on a few things, got to know one another, he realized I wasn't a threat, and we've been friends ever since."

"Have you met Evelyn?" Bucky continued with his questions.

"Not yet" Béatrice shook her head. "I've heard wonderful things about her and Alexander told her about me. She wants to meet and invited me to their wedding."

"Must be nice" he replied causing her to look at him in confusion. "Having someone waiting for you during times like these. Guy's got it made it sounds like."

"I suppose" she nodded her head. "I've never really thought about stuff like that to be honest, but in a world that's filled with so much bad, you really do have to hold on to any shred of happiness you can find. So I agree, it must be nice for him."

"So you're not someone who's got her entire wedding planned and kids named picked out?" he looked over at her.

"Oh goodness no" she let out a laugh. "I'm going to be lucky if I'm married by the time I'm thirty. I'm kind of at that point right now where I'm not sure if I even want to get married or have kids, but I guess it also has to do with the fact that I've really never gone on dates or been with a man I care about."

Bucky stopped and turned to face her. He looked her up and down and gave her a playful smirk. "Sounds like you just haven't met the right man yet."

"Guess not" she nodded her head in agreement.

His eyes flicked around the scenery, realizing they had been walking for quite a long time. "So" he spoke looking around. "Are we just walking or do we have a destination?"

Béatrice quickly nodded and motioned her head. "We're here actually." Bucky looked over and in the distance and once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw where they were. There was small bench overlooking a lake. She looked over and smiled at him before continuing to walk towards it. He quickly followed behind.

"How'd you find this place?" he asked her as they approached the bench.

"Stumbled upon it one day taking a walk when I first arrived" she said as she sat down on the bench. She pulled her jacket closer to her at the night wind nipped at her face.

"Are you cold?" Bucky asked sitting down next to her.

"It's a little chilly" she shrugged slightly. "But I'll be..." Before she could finish, he had taken his jacket off and put it around her. She looked at him in shock. "But won't you be cold?"

"Nah" he shook his head. "New York has some pretty brutal winters. I'll be fine."

"Thank you" she gave him a small smile. "I've never been to New York. Tell me about it."

Bucky smiled at her, chuckling. "You want to know about New York huh? Well it's noisy, bit cramped at times with all the people, but there's so much to do there. So many different kinds of people. Things to see. It's never boring that's for sure. I think you'd like it a lot."

"It sounds perfect" Béatrice nodded her head in agreement. "Maybe one day I'll get to see it."

"If you do..." Bucky began. "Maybe I could show you around. Take you out to a nice restaurant to eat. Maybe go dancing? I'd make sure you'd have a great time."

Béatrice smirked at him, making a face almost as if she was contemplating his proposition. "I'd like that a lot" she nodded her head. Just hearing that made Bucky beam.

* * *

For the next few days, Bucky and Béatrice met nightly. He'd always find a note under his pillow when coming back from mid-morning training. There would always be some sort of quote from Wonderland along with a picture that would lead him through opening the note. He kept all of them. He had also kept his promise to make the most of their time together. Some nights they would spend the night in her quarters, while others they would sneak out of camp and go on walks or to the bench. The two would spend time talking nonstop about their days, the happenings of the camp, and of course their lives. Bucky told her about growing up in Brooklyn and Steve, including all the dates he had forced his friend to go on. It didn't seem to bother her, hearing about his past romances as it would with other girls. She was genuinely curious as she herself had not been on many dates and wanted to know about American culture as much as possible.

Béatrice continued to teach him some German words and phrases, which he would practice on her during their talks. She told him about going to school and growing up in a predominately Jewish community. He was becoming fascinated by the fact that a culture that had turned against one race still had shining glimmers of hope of humanity. She was one of them. However, she still didn't tell him about what she did in the military. Bucky continued to be curious about it, but understood her hesitation. He was still barely an officer and if her work dealt with critical information, more than likely she was sworn to secrecy. But there were times where he was desperate to know. Even when he asked specific questions her about her life in Germany, she told him, but it was almost as she was still holding back something.

One night while Bucky was telling her a story involving him and Steve having to ride back to Brooklyn in a freezer truck because his friend had spent all their train money on hot dogs, there was a loud knock on her door. Béatrice frowned and got up. Seeing out the window from her table, she saw that it was Alexander.

She walked over to the door and opened it. Her friend looked out and breath, breathing heavily. His eyes flicked directly toward Bucky's. "You need to get rid of him. Colonel Phillips is here" the blonde said very quickly.

Bucky watched as Béatrice's face fell in shock. "Why?" she answered immediately. She felt her heart stop. Why was Phillips here? She was unaware that he was even in the states. Was he finally sending her back to Europe? Was this it? Would she be going to get her family out?

Alexander shook his head. "I don't know, but he's asked to see me first. I suspect once he's done with me, he'll want to see you. I just wanted to prepare you and warn you, so you don't get caught with him."

She nodded her head, still very confused as to why their boss was in here of all place. "Okay. Come and get me, if he needs me. If not, tell me what happened." Alexander nodded his head quickly before he went running off.

She then looked over at Bucky, who was still sitting at the table. "Who's Colonel Phillips?" he asked standing up and walking over to her.

Béatrice took a deep breath. What could she tell him? She could tell him the truth about her family and her mission, but would he understand. She thought he would, but she wasn't one-hundred percent sure. She had been going back and forth between whether or not she should tell him the truth, but every time she even got close to doing so, she couldn't.

"Béatrice?" Bucky asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"He's the superior officer who technically overseas Alexander and I" she said looking up at him.

Bucky frowned in confusion. "But I thought Colonel Matthews..."

"No" she stopped him shaking her head. She took a deep breath. "James...Colonel Matthews is...well to be honest the only reason that Alexander and I are here is because I'm being punished."

His face fell further into confusion. "Punishment? For what?"

Béatrice avoided his gaze. He got his answer right there. She wouldn't tell him. He walked closer to her and took both of his hands in hers, rubbing his thumbs over her knuckles. "You can't tell me, can you?" he sighed in disappointment.

"I'm sorry" she looked up at him squeezing his hands a little tighter.

"I wish you could tell me" he told her quietly looking at her. "I feel like I could make you feel better than what I am if I knew." She looked up at him and what she did next took the solider aback. She put her arms around him and hugged him tightly. After he realized what was happening, Bucky put his arms around her waste and squeezed tightly. It took him seconds to realize that he liked being this close to him. He didn't want to let her go. He took in her scent of lavender. It was calming and soothing.

"You already are making me feel better" Béatrice finally spoke, whispering to him.

Bucky buried his face into her neck and inhaled deeply. "You're going to be okay" he told her gently. With that he pulled away, but his hands still rested on her hips and her hands on his forearms. "Just do me a favor. Come find me in the morning. I just want to make sure you're at least okay."

Béatrice nodded her head silently. She knew she could do at least that. She felt as though she was lying to him and it was slowly killing her. She wanted nothing more in that moment that to just tell him to stay and explain everything. However, she didn't. "You should probably go. I don't want you to get into trouble."

"I've been in trouble since the day I met you" he smirked at her. "It would be worth it."

* * *

Alexander stood in Colonel Matthews quarters, waiting patiently for Matthews to return with Phillips. He, himself was feeling nervous. The unexpected visit from Phillips was unlike him. What did it mean for him and Béatrice? The two were doing as they were told, both had kept out of trouble, so there should have been no issue. Phillips wouldn't have come unless it was urgent or a matter of life or death, so which was it? He looked up to see Matthews and Phillips walk into the room. Immediately, Alexander gave both of the officers a salute, standing at attention.

"At ease Captain" Matthews nodded to him.

Alexander nodded in response and turned his attention to the man who was his superior officer. "Colonel Phillips, I wasn't aware that you would be coming" he looked at his superior officer shaking his hand.

"Officially, I'm not here Captain. However, after receiving your last report from Faust, I felt that I needed to come. How is she? Any other news?" he asked in response.

"No more letters than the one I just sent you with, but..." Alexander suddenly stopped. He looked up at Phillips and licked his lips. "Colonel may I speak freely?"

Phillips nodded at him. "You know I prefer it."

"She's frustrated sir and frankly I am as well" Alexander said sternly looking between the two colonels. "Béatrice has been at this for over a year. Time and time again, she's gotten herself into enemy territory, saved lives, and gotten the information you needed. She's risked her life countless times and her family continues to risk it daily. Sir, after the last letter, I am recommending that we pull the Faust family out as soon as possible. Oskar Faust is being watched and with the return of Christoph Faust and his involvement with Hitler, it is becoming too dangerous. I understand that what happened in Austria was a close call, but she needs to be back in Europe, not sitting around watching recruits day in and day out."

Phillips looked at Alexander closely and twitched his lip to the side. He nodded before looking over at Matthews. "Jefferson what's your assessment of our German friend. Think she's served her punishment enough?"

"Chester, I gotta be honest with you" Matthews began taking a deep breath. "I don't know why you're bothering with the girl. Sure she's good, but is this really worth the risk? She's a danger to everyone. She's going to end up getting herself killed or other soldiers."

"She still saved dozens of lives. Jewish, German, Americans, French, dozens of other Europeans. Isn't that enough?" Alexander protested crossing his arms. "She's been an asset to us. Without her, we wouldn't be as prepared as we are. The information she receives is critical."

"She blew up an entire neighborhood block in Vienna and killed three Nazi officials. She caused a scene regardless and nearly blew her cover" Matthews huffed at the captain. "She's becoming more and more dangerous. Her father's a former German strategist, her brother is a Nazi officer, and she's working as a spy. If that isn't a recipe for disaster, I don't know what is. She's done good work, but she needs to stop. Set her up with a place to live. She'll find someone, get married, pop out a couple of kids and forget Germany. That's what she needs to do."

Alexander felt both of his hands turn into fists. He was fuming on the inside, unable to fully comprehend what he was hearing. He was sick of how Béatrice was treated and seen by his superior officers. It wasn't right. She had done so many, while others had done so little. It wasn't fair to her at all. Phillips noticed the Captain's face, looking as though he was about to tackle the other Colonel.

"Jefferson, could you give McPherson and I a moment alone?" Phillips suddenly spoke up.

"Of course" Matthews nodded his head looking between the two soldiers. With that, he turned, stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind him. Once it was fully closed, Phillips walked straight up to McPherson and looked him directly in the eye.

"Pull yourself together Alexander" he snapped at him. "You need to keep your head on straight. Once these recruits ship out in three weeks, you and and Faust are on the first plane back to London. I need my best two agents with clear heads, is that understood?"

Alexander looked at the Colonel in shock. "But what about Colonel..."

"Jefferson is wrong. You and I both know it. Faust is valuable to us. You know that. I know that. She's not going anywhere" Phillips raised his eyebrows and gave him a smile. "Besides, we need to start preparations to get her family out of Germany finally."Alexander smiled widely at the Colonel. It was finally happening. The Faust family would finally be getting out. He couldn't wait to tell Béatrice. "You can't tell her though" Phillips continued. "This is going to take a lot of time and planning. It could take months or even a year, but I assure you, we are starting."

"Yes sir" Alexander nodded his head in understanding.

"Now go get her. I want to talk to her" Phillips instructed. Alexander nodded his head again. As he did, Phillips took a sit in a nearby chair. Neither one of them aware that outside the window that was currently open, someone had heard the entire conversation.

* * *

Bucky slid down to the cold ground. He felt completely flattened by everything he had just heard. As he had began his walk back to his quarters, he noticed Colonel Matthews walking with another officer, who he assumed what Colonel Phillips. His assumption was correct as he followed the two men to Matthews quarters. He had quietly walked around the building and to his luck, the window to Matthews office was open. He knew he shouldn't have been listening in on a private and classified conversation, but he couldn't help it. He was too curious.

However, after everything he had just heard, he regretted his decision. It made sense as to why Béatrice kept her mission and information about her family a secret. She was working for the Americans to spy on Germany. She was a spy. He couldn't believe it or wrap his head around it. Her father had been a German sympathizer? Her own brother wasn't dead. He was perfectly alive and a Nazi. She had lied to him about that. Her punishment was because she blew up a neighborhood and killed people. This wasn't the woman he had met and had grown so fond of over a short period of time. It had all been a lie. Everything had been a lie.

Running his hands through his hair, he shook his head. He was an idiot. His gut had tried to warn him that being around her was a bad idea, but he didn't listen. He quickly stood up and his eyes darted angrily at Béatrice's quarters. He knew what he had to do.

* * *

A loud knock on her door cause Béatrice to jump slightly as she waited for Alexander to come back. She frowned as she was brushing her hair in front of a mirror. It was time. Alexander had returned. Putting her brush down on her dresser, she walked over and saw from her window that it was not in fact Alexander, but James. What was he doing back?

Walking over and opening the door, she looked at him. "James, what are you..."

"Is it true?" he suddenly snapped before she could even asked why he was there.

She frowned in confusion at him. He looked angry at her for some reason. "I'm sorry?" she looked at him.

"Is it true?" he repeated more angrily slamming the door behind him.

Béatrice blinked twice and titled her head. She had absolutely no clue as to what he was referring to. "I'm not following. Is what true?"

"About your father, a former military strategist. Your brother's alive and a Nazi and you" he hissed angrily at her. "You're spying on the Germans for us. The only reason that you're even here is because the military is punishing you for blowing up a neighborhood in Austria and killing three Nazi's"

He knew. James knew everything. Béatrice just avoided his gaze, her eyes slightly wide staring at the floor. She was shell-shocked. She tried to say something, but no words would form. She blinked, staying completely silent.

"You're not denying anything. You can't even give me the decency to look at me. I can't believe I wasted so much time on you" he let out a bitter laugh looking at her, shaking his head. "You lied to me. I mean I figured your job was super secretive, but you told me you didn't do anything dangerous. Everything you do is dangerous. I thought you were different. For the first time, I thought I had met someone who was open and honest, but you're just like everyone else. Only saying the things I would want to hear."

At that point, Béatrice felt numb. Stray tears that she had tried so hard to hold back were falling down her cheeks. He knew. He knew. She kept repeating it over and over in her head.

She heard James huffed loudly and felt him grab her roughly. She looked up at him. He was furious. His eyes were full of pain and anger. The truth had broken his heart. She did this. She had no one else to blame.

"Is it true?" he demanded once more.

"Yes!" she exclaimed loudly with more tears rolling down her cheeks. "It's all true." She pulled herself away from his grip and just shut her eyes, trying to hold back more tears, but it was no use.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she heard him exclaimed.

"Private Barnes"

She opened her eyes and saw Alexander standing in the doorway of her quarters. James turned around and saw him, glaring at him angrily.

"I suggest you return to your quarters immediately. It's past curfew and I'd hate to have to write you up this close to graduation" Alexander sneered at him. James took one more angry look at Béatrice before turning to leave.

As he approached the doorway, Alexander stopped him with his hand on his chest. "I warned you Barnes."

"I'm not the one who's been lying" James growled in response at him. With that he shoved, Alexander's hand off of him and stormed off into the night. The blonde watched as he did so before turning his attention back to his friend. However, what he saw scared him. She was blinking nonstop wearing a blank face.

"Béatrice?" Alexander slowly walked over to her. "Darling are you okay?" As he stepped closer to her, he noticed her shaking. In a matter of seconds, she was hysterical. Sobbing and breathing, heavily. Soon, her breath became shallow and short. And the next thing Alexander McPherson knew, his best friend had collapsed into his arms, completely unconscious.

 **There you have it! Sorry for ending it on such a down note, but trust me I have reasons. Next chapter is going to be a big one. We're going to go back to the beginning. Got a nice big flashback chapter planned, so if you've been curious about how Béatrice's involvement began, what she has done, and what happened in Austria, you're going to find out real soon. Thank for for the continued amount of reviews, favs, and follows. Read and review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Quick note before you start to read.** **This chapter is heavily about Béatrice's past before and after she joined the SSR. Many of the conversations spoken would be in German or French between her, her family, and others.** **After much debate and looking online for decent translators, I decided not to write conversations in German. However, if this was a movie there would be subtitles, but I figured if I wrote all of the conversations in German, the translations would be at the end and just as long as the chapter, as a result, we're going with English. Enjoy**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize**

The sunlight trickling in her window was what woke Béatrice up the next morning. As she did, it almost hit her instantly. What had happened the night before came flooding back to her thoughts. James knew everything. Somehow he had learned the truth. Everything that he had said to her was replaying in her head. He was so angry at her. If she didn't know better, she may have thought she had broken his heart. She moved slightly and realized something. She was in her bed. She didn't remember getting into bed. The last thing she remembered was Alexander asking if she was alright and then nothing. She turned her head to the side and her eyes went wide. Sitting at the table across from her bed sat Alexander and Colonel Phillips.

"Good morning Agent Faust" Phillips nodded his head at her.

"If this is a dream, I expect it will not be a good one" she groaned quietly.

"Hate to disappoint you Faust, but this isn't a dream" Phillips mused staring at her. "If it was, you might want to go to psych then."

She smiled slightly at his comment. "Colonel, to what do I owe the pleasure. We weren't aware you were coming at all." She pulled herself up from bed, so she was sitting up.

"As I told McPherson, I'm not technically here at all" the colonel explained. "After I received the last weather report from you, I figured it was time for me to discuss our next moves. I asked McPherson to come and bring you to me, but apparently he found you unconscious on the floor with a fever. Doctor said you should be fine in a day or so." Béatrice's face fell and her eyes flicked towards Alexander's own. She was confused. He hadn't found her on the floor. He was with her. Next moves? What did Phillips mean by that. The colonel must have realized that she was confused because he looked over at Alexander and then back at the German before speaking.

"Vacation's almost over Faust. In three weeks once these recruits graduate, you and McPherson are back in Europe. There's been a lot of HYDRA chatter. Something big's coming. We've also received reports of Jewish deportation. It's starting." The last comment caused her to look at him in shock. She felt her heart stop. It was happening, it couldn't be. The Jew's were being moved. But to where and what was going to happen to them?

"Where are they sending them?" she asked after a moment.

"They're not sure yet" Alexander spoke up. "We've got people working on it though."

"However, I'd personally feel better if it was you two working on it" Phillips sighed looking between the pair. "No one else has anymore experience with this than you two. When you get back, this and the weather reports are your top priority, understood."

"Yes sir" Alexander and Béatrice said together nodding.

She bit her lip and kept silent for a moment. The next question that was plaguing her mind was not something she was prepared to ask, but she knew she had to. Phillips probably knew it was coming, but she would regret it if she kept silent.

"Something on your mind Faust?" Phillips raised an eyebrow at her, snapping her out of her thoughts. He obviously already knew she was contemplating her next comment.

"I understand Captain McPherson informed you of the unexpected information that came with the last weather report?" she spoke confidently looking directly at him.

Phillips sat back in his chair and tapped a finger on the table. "If you mean the code words of your father being watched and your brother having returned, I am aware of it. The answer is still not yet Faust."

She felt her face fall once more. No matter how many times she heard it, she always felt disappointed and upset. She wanted her family out of Europe more than anything. She was an idiot for thinking this time would be different.

"But it is understood how critical things have become correct Colonel?" Alexander looked over at his superior officer.

"Of course" Phillips said standing up. "We're working as fast as we can Faust. Trust me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm needed in D.C. for a meeting with the president." He began to walk toward the door of her quarters. "Rest up Faust. Captain. See you both in a few weeks." With that he opened the door and walked over, shutting the door behind him.

The pair kept silent for a few moments, taking in the fact that they would be leaving soon and what was to happen next. Béatrice looked over at Alexander in confusion slightly. "You didn't tell him what really happened?"

The blonde only shook his head before walking over to her beside. "Doesn't concern him, so why bother? Now, tell me, how are you feeling?"

"Like all of Germany has had a go at me" she smiled meekly at her friend. She moved over to the opposite side of her bed and patted on a spot with her hand. Alexander made his way closer to her and sat down on the bed beside her.

The blonde solider looked at his friend sadly. She looked utterly exhausted. Her eyes were filled with nothing but sadness as opposed to the glowing sparkle she normally had. He wanted nothing more than to go find James Barnes and beat him to a pulp. She didn't deserve it any of it. He took a deep breath and looked down at the comforter and then back up at her. "Darling..." he began. "You...you just say the word and I'll..."

"No" Béatrice interjected shaking her head. "He's not worth it Alexander. Promise me. Don't do anything that could get you in trouble. He's not worth your career. Maybe it's better this way."

Alexander looked sadly at her for a moment before slowly nodding. "I promise, but I don't think you actually believe that for a second" he raised his eyebrows at her, not buying what she said at all."

"It doesn't matter what I believe" she shot back at him. "We're leaving in a few weeks. I'm going home. That's what I should be focused on. Not some stupid American soldier that chances are I'll never see again.I was foolish for even thinking that maybe..." She stopped as she felt the tears well up in her eyes.

He put his arm around his friend, holding her close. He felt helpless and unsure of how to help her. "It's okay" he began. "Despite what we do, there's nothing that says we can care about people. It's allowed. Even if I want to skin him alive now, you were happy when you were around him. You're not foolish. You're simply human."

By now the tears were rolling down her cheeks. "I don't understand why he's so angry. He knew I couldn't tell him anything" she sniffed. "Are all American men like this?"

Her friend smirked at her last statement and pulled her away to face him. "We aren't all this dumb" he chuckled at her slightly. "Some know how to keep something good when it comes their way. If you want my honest opinion, I think it's just the fact that he's worried now. He cares about you and knowing what you do now may scare him. You're not the person he thought you were. You something else entirely. It's a good thing. He's just too much of an idiot to realize it. He's the one who eavesdropped after all I suspect." Her lip began to tremble as more tears began to form in her eyes. Alexander pulled his best friend back towards him, hugging her tightly. "It'll be okay darling."

* * *

Bucky felt as though he was going through the motions the next morning. Having barely slept thanks to his newfound knowledge, he was exhausted. Harrington and Samson had taken notice that something was wrong, but he brushed them off just as quickly as they had asked. He didn't want anyone to know the truth. It was enough that he knew the truth about Béatrice McPherson. The rest of the camp didn't need to know. It was probably too dangerous anyway, not that he owed her that, but he figured if he opened his mouth that was a sentence to a dishonorable discharge from the military.

He was dreading going into training today. One because he didn't want to see Béatrice at all, but more of the fact that Captain McPherson would probably make his life a living hell in some shape or form. He would soon realize how right he would be. Walking over for self defense training, he spied McPherson immediately. No Béatrice, but her best friend was there. He hadn't noticed him yet, but it was only a matter of time.

"Gentlemen, thank you for coming today for another self defense training seminar" McPherson announced at the group trickled in.

"Hey Cap, where's your German friend" one of the privates yelled out suddenly.

"Agent Faust unfortunately is unable to join us today. Feeling a little under the weather" McPherson said before his eyes fell directly on Bucky's own. He was in for it, he could already tell. "Anyway, we'll be pairing you up. Johnson and Barnes, you're up first."

Bucky shook his eyes and sighed deeply. So this was how things were going to go. Pairing him up with one of the only recruits he couldn't honestly stand. But then his reason of his dislike only had to do with a certain brunette he had taken a liking to. He walked over and stood in front of Johnson, who was smirking at him.

"Now boys, I want a nice clean fight" McPherson told the two of them.

"That can be done Captain" Johnson smiled. "Besides this time, Barnes doesn't have his girlfriend to show off too. Is she really sick Barnes or is she too busy screwing another German for information. I wonder if she's actually good in bed or not. I wonder if Hitler and his other officers just share her."

Something inside of him set off at that comment. He felt his blood boil and he punched Johnson as hard as he could when he was least expecting it. Johnson stumbled backward in confusion for a moment. He wiped the blood from his dripping nose and shook his head at his opponent.

"Still defending her I see" Johnson growled before he threw another punch hitting Bucky directly. The two men wrestled one another to the ground and typically while other recruits would cheer for a fight, everyone looked at the scene in silence. No one really knew what to say.

Alexander sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. Looking at his watch, he shook his head. It was too early for this. He looked over at Harrington and Samson. "Get them off one another." The two privates obliged his commands with Harrington pulling Bucky away from Johnson and Samson pulling the other away. Both were breathing heavily at one another and Bucky shook Harrington off of him.

"Private Barnes. A word?" McPherson announced looking at him with complete disdain. Bucky sighed heavily, following the Captain away from the group. If he wasn't in for it before, he surely was now. He already began to prepare himself for another punch or worse.

"So is she really sick or is that another cover for something else Nazi related" Bucky asked smugly.

Alexander stopped in his tracks and turned to Bucky. "You ought to get another punch from me after what you said to my friend last night, but you know what? I won't because I promised her that I would leave you alone" McPherson told him lowly.

Bucky rolled his eyes and let out a puff of air. "Well isn't that kind of her."

"Trust me I'm still considering going against her wishes. Like I said, you deserve more than a punch" McPherson shot back at him.

"Then punch me. I don't know why though, I'm not the one who lied" Bucky lashed out at him.

Alexander just looked at him in silence. He was three seconds away from ripping him in half. Oh how he wanted to. His friend deserved better than this. So much better. "How can you be this way?" he looked at the young soldier in confusion. "She cares about you and you hurt her. You're overreacting. That's exactly what you're doing. You think you know everything, but you don't. You don't know a damn thing about her. You had no right to say the things that you did last night. She's a good person. Probably one of the best people your sorry ass will ever meet. She was protecting you. That is what she does best. Protect those she cares about" he hissed at him. He shook his head as Bucky kept completely silent. "What she saw in you is beyond me. You're going to regret that you let her got away and I think you already are. Otherwise you wouldn't have fought with Johnson after he insulted her for the millionth time" With that the captain turned and left Bucky to his thoughts. It took seconds, but he soon wondered how right the Captain was about everything. Deep down he knew that Captain McPherson was right. About a lot of it.

* * *

Bucky always liked the stars. One of his favorite things to do was to stay up late and just look at them from his bedroom window or go find a place where he could see them perfectly. He had found himself back at the bench in front of the lake, smoking a cigarette. He couldn't sleep again. For the first time in weeks, he was back to the sleepless nights as it had happened when he first came. Only this time, it was not because of his new surroundings. A certain German woman and the truth he had learned still plagued his thoughts. He couldn't get what had happened out of his head. He wanted nothing more than to forget what had happened, forget Béatrice Faust and what she did, but he couldn't. Did he do the right thing? Was McPherson right? Had he truly overreacted? The guilt was starting to sink in and it was becoming too much to handle.

The sound of the crunching caused him to sit up looking behind him. He felt his heart stop. Behind him stood Béatrice. She stood quietly before him, not uttering a word. She must have been in shock by seeing him there. Her eyes were puffy, blood shot, and looked as though she had barely slept herself. Frankly, she looked awful and he was the reason behind it. Maybe in some other world, this would have been the part where he threw his cigarette to the ground, walked over to her, and scooped her up in his arms, apologizing for what an idiot he had been. But that wasn't the world he was in, he was still angry. Very angry. It wasn't something he could forget. As a result, he went to a much different approach.

"Well look who it is" he rolled his eyes getting off the bench to face her. "Come to tell me more bullshit about your life and what you do?"

Béatrice stood her ground and glared directly at him. However, soon her face fell. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she noticed the cut on his cheek with a bruise forming around it. "What happened to your face?"

"That's classified information" he shrugged smugly.

The brunette rolled her eyes and Bucky could have sworn he heard her mutter something in German. "You're being ridiculous" she stated.

"I'm being ridiculous?" he shot back angrily at her in disbelief. "Sweetheart, you just don't get it do you? I'm not the one who's been lying about their entire life for the past four weeks."

Béatrice groaned loudly at him. She walked straight up at him. "You have no right to be upset with me James Barnes! What I do doesn't concern you at all! You are not a member of my division. No one is suppose to know what I do. If anything, _I'm_ the one who should be upset, because you overheard a private conversation. I told you one lie and said that my work wasn't dangerous. I don't think it is though. I'm doing something important useful. What are you really upset about? This or the fact that I'm not living up to this perfect picture that you have of me in your head? I'm not perfect James. None of us are and like everyone, I've done things I'm not proud of, but were necessary."

He was taken aback by her boldness. No woman had ever spoken to him like that at all. He just stared at her silently in shock, at a loss of words. Béatrice just shook her head and sat down on the bench. "I didn't come here to fight with you" she sighed heavily. She looked down at the ground, licking her lips. She looked as though she was contemplating what to say next. He sure as hell wasn't going to say anything at this rate. He threw the cigarette to the ground, turning to face the lake as the two fell into silence.

He heard Béatrice sigh loudly. "My father's name is Oskar Faust" she suddenly spoke causing Bucky to turn to her in confusion. She looked directly at him. "I wouldn't expect anyone here to know who he is, but he was and is a prominent mathematician in Europe. During the first war, the German military recruited him to be a strategist. He was quite good at it, but as you know we still lost. After the war, my country was faced with an economic crisis as a result of the Treaty of Versailles. It was hard on my family during those years. I don't remember it much as I was too young as was my brother. But during that time, my father realized what a mistake he had made. As a result of his plans, many lost their lives. He felt guilty. So, he made himself a promise. He would never be involved in something like that again. Wars are never truly won. Each side loses greatly and he didn't want to have that responsibility on his shoulders anymore."

Bucky felt his eyes widen at the new source of information. He slowly made his way back over to her, sitting beside her on the bench. This was what he wanted. The truth and now he was finally about to hear it.

"Being so good at his job, it was no surprise that when the Nazi's came to power, the military wanted him back. He..." she stopped and looked down at her hands with her eyes shut. "Hit...he..."

"Hitler wanted to recruit him" Bucky finished for her. "Didn't he?" He looked down at the ground. The fact that she even struggled to say Adolf Hitler's name said a lot. There was more this than he realized. His name must have been like poison to her.

She turned her head and nodded silently. "He was very persistent. Writing to my father often, showing up in Berlin unexpectedly. My father kept refusing him. But there's only so many times you can say no to the Führer before it becomes dangerous."

* * *

 _September 1940 Berlin, Germany_

 _Béatrice walked towards home with her friend Rifka Dreyfuss. The two girls were huddled together, arm in arm, giggling in German about an encounter with a young man in one of the stores they had just visited._

 _"He was flirting with you Béatrice" her blonde friend continued to giggle. "He was so handsome."_

 _The brunette just rolled her eyes. "He was, but I think he was just being nice."  
_

 _Rifka just sighed heavily and shook her head. "You need a boyfriend. Please find one! You've had so many handsome boys interested in you and yet you refuse to go out with them."_

 _"You're right. They were boys"_ _Béatrice looked over at her. "I don't want a immature boy. I want a man. I want someone to sweep me off my feet. Not someone who thinks they can bat their eyelashes at me and I'm instantly their girl."_

 _"Béatrice Faust you are one of the strangest young women I have ever met" Rifka let out another laugh. She turned her head and stopped dead in her tracks, her face falling into fear. Béatrice turned her head to what her friend was so upset at. As she did, she gasped. Coming out of her house was Hitler. Why was he there? What did he want? She quickly pulled her friend into the alley near them, hiding behind the wall. She knew how dangerous it might be if she had been seen by the leader of Germany with a Jewish girl. She didn't want Rifka to get hurt. Her father feared the Nazi's and as a result, she did too._

 _"Why is Adolf Hitler in your house?" the blonde looked at her in shock._

 _Béatrice shrugged. "I...I...don't know. My father is not a Nazi sympathizer."_

 _"I hear rumors" Rifka began shaking. "That they want to kill us all. The yellow stars are only the beginning."_

 _Béatrice shook her head at her friend. "You know my father would never work with them. He's done with that life. He is a friend to the Jews. He won't let anything happen to anyone in the neighborhood. I promise you that." Despite her assurance, her best friend did not look so convinced. However, she still shook her head in agreement and put her arms around Béatrice, hugging her tightly. She thought back to her own words, praying that she was not wrong. Something was coming. She could feel it and it was extremely dangerous._

* * *

 _Élodie Faust sat a plate down with the family's only servant, following suit on the dining room table. As she did, she head the front door to the house open. "Béatrice? Is that you?" Seconds later, the woman saw her daughter pop her head into the dining room._

 _"Yes mama" she replied walking over to her mother to give her a hug._

 _"You and Rifka had a good time?" she asked before pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead. Béatrice nodded her head slowly and her face fell. Her mother noticed the change in her demeanor quickly. "Darling what is it? Is something the matter?"_

 _Béatrice licked her lips and nodded slowly. "I...I...saw them leave. Why was he here?"_

 _Élodie quickly put a finger to her daughter's lips and shook her head. Before she could protest as to why, the door to the kitchen opened. Out came walking a tall young man with brown hair._

 _"Well look who's finally back" he smirked between the women._

 _"Christoph!" Béatrice exclaimed happily running over to her big brother and flinging her arms around him. "I didn't know you were coming home!"_

 _"I wanted to surprise you" he said happily hugging his sister in return. He pulled her away beaming at her. "I have so much to tell you!"_

 _She smiled brightly at her big brother before she really got a look at him. She felt something around his arm, causing her to frown. She pulled her hand away and saw the swastika band around his arm. She had never seen Christoph wear that. She wasn't even aware that he was supporting the Nazi's._

 _"Why are you wearing that?" she looked up at him after another beat of silence._

 _Christoph opened his mouth to speak, but another figure emerging from the kitchen cause him to stop._

 _"Father_ _"_ _Béatrice walked over and hugged the older man tightly.  
_

 _"Hello my dear" he replied pulling away, looking directly at her. He automatically could see the worry in her eyes. However, he kept silent and turned his attention to his older child. "Have you told her?"_

 _"I was just about to" Christoph nodded happily. "_ _Béatrice, something wonderful has happened. I have been offered a job to become_ _one of Adolf Hitler's personal aides."_

 _No. That was the one word that popped into the young woman's head. She was dreaming. No, this couldn't be happening. This was not real. Christoph would never join the Nazi's. No one in the family agreed with the policies especially when it came to the Jews. They had both grown up with the Jews. Had Jewish friends. The man standing in front of her was not her brother._

 _"What do you think?" Christoph said noticing his sister's silence._

 _"I...I'm not sure what to say. I...I'm just surprised I suppose" she managed to get out somehow._

 _"We all were"_ _Élodie interject. "It is quite the opportunity that is for sure."  
_

 _"But that's not even the best part. Adolf Hitler himself was in this house. Tell her what he said father. Go on" Christoph urged him quickly._

 _"_ _Béatrice" Oskar took a deep breath to begin. "I have been offered my old position in the government. Hitler has asked me to be one of his top strategists. I told him it was an honor of course, but I would need to consider it."_ _She could only feel herself nod her head. She gave her father the best smile she could, but she threw her arms around him. Her worst nightmare was coming true._

* * *

 _November 1940 Berlin, Germany_

 _She watched as her father poured wine into her brother's glass. Christoph had returned home for the first time in two months. He had been traveling throughout the country with Hitler and his inner circle. Her brother had spent most of dinner discussing his travels and Hitler's beliefs regarding Europe and of course the Jews. Hearing everything made her sick to her stomach and the more she listened, the quicker_ _Béatrice had lost her appetite. At that point, she was simply picking at her food, wanting to be anywhere else at the present moment._

 _"_ _Béatrice you've been quiet this evening" her mother suddenly spoke up. "Are you feeling alright. You've barely touched your food."_

 _The brunette only shrugged at her mother in response. "I'm just tired I suppose."_

 _"Well you did have a long day out in town" her father commented. "It's understandable."_

 _Christoph turned to her sister and looked at her curiously. "Who were you with today?"_

 _"Rifka of course"_ _Béatrice replied nonchalantly at him, avoiding eye contact._

 _Her brother's eyes narrowed at her in disgust. "Why were you spending time with a Jew?" he exclaimed at her in disbelief. "Have you heard nothing that the Führer has said about the Jews. They are impure. Tainted. You of all people should not be associating with them."_

 _"We grew up with Jews. Many of your friends were Jews" she shot back angrily at him. "Or have you already forgotten in order to prolong your career?"_

 _Christoph glared at her and then looked over at his parents. "You should make her get involved in the party. There are many ladies who are devoting their time to the cause. If only you would listen to reason little sister. They could help you see the truth."_

 _"There is nothing wrong the Jews" she replied lowly. "There never has been. It's all lies and you know it as well as I do!"_

 _"Just thinking like that will get you killed" Christoph snapped angrily at her, shaking his head. "Father are you really going to sit here and let your daughter speak this way about our great leader?"_

 _Béatrice looked over at her father for his response. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and took a deep breath. "Your brother is right" he nodded slowly. "_ _Béatrice, as of today I have accepted our great leader's offer to become one of his top strategists. As a result of this, you will be expected to uphold yourself to a certain standard. You mustn't think or ever say these things. You will change your mind, I assure you."_

 _She felt her heart stop. It was too late. Looking over at her mother, she expected her to speak. Instead there was complete silence at the dinner table. It had happened. Her family had turned against her. The Nazi's propaganda had poisoned everyone. Standing up from the dining room table, she dropped her napkin on it._

 _"I've suddenly lost my appetite, excuse me" she spoke quietly. With that, she quickly exited the room, leaving her family to their own personal thoughts._

 _Christoph watched as his sister slammed the dining room door shut before he went back to eating. "She'll come around" he shrugged before taking another bite to eat._

* * *

 _Béatrice tossed and turned in her bed. She couldn't fall asleep. Sitting up, she looked at her clock. It was almost one in the morning. The dinner conversation continued to plague her thoughts. This wasn't her family. It was impossible. Her family was kind. They didn't believe in the Nazi's. How did this happen? How did everything become so wrong? She sighed and got out of bed, grabbing a robe off of her chair. Sleep would not be a luxury tonight for her. She tip toed out of her room to take a walk downstairs, when her father's light in his officer caught her eye. Slowly, she walked to the door. He was inside sitting in his chair by the fire. He looked up and smiled at her._

 _"Can't sleep either?" he motioned for her to enter. She did so and walked over to the chair in front of his own. Her father sat quietly, smoking a pipe looking between the mirror and his daughter._

 _"You seemed quite upset at dinner" Oskar began quietly. "Tell me_ _Béatrice. What do you think of Adolf Hitler."_

 _She stared at her father quietly. She slowly frowned at him in confusion. Why was he asking her this? Was this some sort of trap? A way to get her in trouble perhaps? She continued to stay silent and frown. Something told her that being quiet was her best option._

 _Oskar gave his daughter a small smile. "Would you like to know what I think of him?" Slowly, he saw his daughter nod her head in response. "I think he's a monster. I think that he makes the devil look like an angel. He is a horrid man with horrid ideas. He shouldn't have this power. No one should ever have this power."_

 _She looked at her father in shock for a moment and blinked. Did she hear him correctly? Did she hear him say he hated Hitler. She slowly opened her mouth. "Then why are you going to work for him if you hate him so?"_

 _Oskar stood silently and walked over to his desk. He picked up a piece of paper and walked over to his daughter to hand it to her. He stopped and held the paper in his hands for a moment. "What you're about to read, you must keep secret, especially from your brother."_

 _Béatrice nodded her head at her father. He then handed the piece of paper to her. She looked down and read it. Her brows furrowed in confusion and she looked up at her father. "I don't understand."_

 _Oskar smiled at her. "I am not working for Hitler. I am working for the Americans" he began heading back to his chair. "When Hitler first reached out to me, I knew that it would only be so long before I would be forced to accept. As a result, I reached out to the Americans. A special agency called the Strategic Scientific Reserve. They specialized in the more, strange aspects of what our country is dealing with. There is an organization in the Nazi's called HYDRA run by Johann Schmidt. They are trying to use science and the occult to take over the world. If I am close to Hitler, I learn about HYDRA and Schmidt's plans. The Americans will get the information on HYDRA."_

 _"But the Americans aren't even in the war yet" she frowned at her father once more._

 _"Yet my dear. Yet" Oskar replied to her. "They offered to get us out if we provide information. We could leave this horrible place and start a new life in England, America...really anywhere."_

 _Béatrice let out a small gasp, staring at her father in shock. It seemed too good to be true. She didn't think there would be a way out, but now there was. They could leave Germany and start a new life away from the Nazi's. Away from the hate and suffering. But there was one thing she still did not understand. "How are you to get information to them?"_

 _Oskar sat back in his chair and licked his lips. "I gave them a recommendation and they have accepted it" he started looking directly at her. "We're going to use you._ _You're the only one who can do this. You're the only one we can trust to do this. You're kind, strong, and you will do what is necessary to protect the people you care about. It has to be you_ _Béatrice. You understand. No one else will."_

 _Béatrice licked her own lips and sat back in the chair. She felt faint for a moment, unable to process everything. "I...I...I can't. I don't even know how to do any of this. I'm not a spy for God's sake."_

 _Oskar got up at his seat and kneeled before her. "You can do this. Deep down you know it._ _Béatrice you can save so many lives. You can help this country become the place we used to love. You can save your friends, all of them including the Jewish ones. You are the only person who is capable. It will not be easy, but I know you can. I would not have asked you if I didn't think you could."_

 _Béatrice sat silently at her father. He took her hands in his own and looked at her pleadingly. Deep down, she knew he was right. This is what she needed to do. She was capable of it. She was tired. So very tired of seeing her country drown itself in hatred. She couldn't sit back anymore. She had to do something. Sitting around and waiting for her friends to die or to turn into Christoph was no way to live anymore. She looked directly into her fathers eyes. "So when do we get started?"_

* * *

Bucky silently ran his hands through his head taking a deep breath. He slowly turned his head over to the brunette sitting beside him, waiting for the next part of her story. He already felt that he was at a loss for words. What had he done?

Béatrice opened her mouth to continue to speak. "For the next month, my father corresponded with the Americans to get me out safely. The cover was that I was going to go to Paris to study. That way it would be easier to get me out, but also give my father a reason to write so often" she began. "As the details were worked out, the two of us created a code to use when sending me information. The information was disguised in the form of weather reports. The story would be that I just missed home so much that my father would send me weather information to have a small piece of home. However, when he described the weather, the words would correspond to a number. Then the number would correspond to a word relating to the military. For example, if there was a thunderstorm due for say a Wednesday, it meant that Hitler was planning on moving more troops." She stopped speaking and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it. She inhaled deeply, shutting her eyes. Her nerves were starting to overcome her. She could feel it.

"My father's letters were normal. When we realized no one would intercept them, he was very honest and open regarding what was occurring. We were still cautious though. We came up with code words that he would slip into the letter if something was wrong. We used words and phrases from _Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland_ " she sighed looking over at Bucky. His eyes met her own for a second before they flicked down to the ground. "It is my favorite book after all, so it was perfect" she gave a small smiled. She took another puff of the cigarette. "Christmas of 1940 was the last time I saw my family. Shortly after I went to Paris. Few weeks after, I just kept to myself. Made a few friends here and there and attended some classes. Tried to act as normal as possible. The Americans got in touch with me after I had been there for about three weeks. Someone would come forward and meet me. They wanted to get me out by the end of January through the Swiss boarder since they've insisted on remaining neutral throughout this whole mess. They also were in the process of finding a decoy to make it seem as though I was still in Paris. My father kept me away from many German officers so finding someone who had dark hair and eyes and said their name was Béatrice Faust wasn't a problem. When I finally left Paris, it was on January 28, 1941." She smiled to herself and paused. "I considered it to be my first mission. It was exciting and new, but...but...there were complications."

* * *

 _January 1941 Paris, France_

 _Béatrice sat on a bench quietly looking up at the Eiffel Tower. She remembered climbing it as a child. She remembering being exhausted when she finally reached the top, but she had only been 8 at the time of her journey. She, her parents, and Christoph had spent time in Paris together as a family. When times were much simpler and easier. Now life was not like that at all. The tower was closed now due to the German occupation, so no one was allowed to climb it. At the top of it was the Nazi flag. It was a horrible sight to see._

 _Paris was not the same place she had such fond memories of. It was almost as the German's had managed to suck the life out of it. It seemed quieter. Gloomy almost. German soldiers were at almost every street and many of the Parisians did their best to ignore them or avoid them at all possible costs. She had done her best to avoid it as well. She had kept to herself for the most part. She had made a few friends, but she had kept her socializing to a minimum. Any day now she would be leaving and she didn't want to cause a scene due to her sudden disappearance. She didn't need people asking questions. It was too dangerous._

 _From the corner of her eye, she saw a man in a suit sit down beside her. He too looked up at the tower as well and sighed deeply. "It's a shame, don't you think" he suddenly spoke to her in French. "Such a great monument and no one can even go up it anymore."_ _Béatrice looked over at him silently. She slowly nodded her head in response._

 _The man smiled at her and opened his mouth once more, only this time speaking in perfect English. "Nice weather we're having aren't we Miss Faust?"_

 _Her eyes went wide at him. He knew who she was. She quickly stood up and prepared to leave, but he caught her arm before she could go anywhere. "Don't worry. I'm a friend. We're about to go on a little trip together." Her face turned into a frown and she felt her heart stop. The man chuckled at her slightly and shook his head. "They didn't tell you I was coming did I?"_

 _"I'm sorry, I have no clue what you're talking about"_ _Béatrice told him, not believing a word coming out of his mouth. She was too paranoid. Was he an American? Was this a trap? "Please let me go or I'll scream."_

 _"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" the man looked directly at her. Her mouth fell open as he gently let go of her arm and put his hands into his pocket. He was part of the S.S.R. The phrase he had just spoke was one that her father and her had come up with when someone wanted to be revealed as an agent. "My name is Collins." He looked around for a moment and looked back at the German girl who was staring at him intently. "We probably don't have much time. I'm here to get you out. Do you have a bag packed?"_

 _"Of course"_ _Béatrice nodded her head. "When do we leave?"_

 _"Tonight" Collins told her lowering his voice. "I'll come by your place around midnight. Tell no one. Understood?"_

 _She nodded her head quickly. It had started. Her new life was about to begin. It was time to get out of Europe and help her country, her family, and her friends._

* * *

 _For midnight to come, it felt like forever. For hours,_ _Béatrice paced around her tiny apartment. She felt nervous for some reason. Something in the pit of her stomach would not cease. She was worried. What would happen to her if she was caught trying to flee? What would happen to her friends and family? It was not something that was easing her mind at all. Anything could happen. What she was about to do would be one of the most dangerous moments of her life._

 _A knock on the door caused her to jump. She quickly turned her head to the door. Walking over slowly to the door, she put her hand on the knob, turning slowly. Opening the door, she saw Collins standing on the other side. He pushed the door open and walked into the apartment._

 _"Ready to go?" he asked her looking at her._

 _She nodded her head and walked over to grab her bag and her coat. She shut her door and placed a key under the mat that was at the foot of the door as she had been instructed to do in a letter when she had first arrived. Following Collins down the steps of her building, the two emerged outside to where a black car was waiting. Collins took her small suitcase from her and put it into the back of the car._ _Béatrice walked over to the passenger seat of the car and Collins in the driver's seat. Turning on the car, the two drove off down the streets of Paris in complete silence._

 _"So why does the S.S.R want you?" Collins asked breaking the silence between the two of them._

 _Béatrice brows furrowed and she looked at him. "You mean they didn't tell you?"_

 _Collins shook his head. "Not my job to ask questions. I'm just here to extract people. I get told where to go, who to get out, and where to take them."_

 _"So you just wait until you meet the person you extract to ask?"_ _Béatrice smirked over at him._

 _"Exactly" he flashed her a smile. "So what are you like some wife of a Nazi higher up or something?"_

 _Béatrice laughed and shook her head. "Not at all." She looked straight ahead and her face fell. Ahead of them in the darkness were two German patrol officers on motorcycles blocking the upcoming road. It must have been for a paper check or something. To ensure that no Jews or anyone suspicious were able to get out of the city. Her heart began to race._

 _"Stay calm" Collins spoke slowing down the car. "Let me do the talking." The car came to a complete stop as the two officers walked over to the car. The pair both took deep breaths, trying to remain calm._

 _One of the officers motioned for Collins to roll down the window. "Bit late for a drive isn't it?" the first officer spoke to Collins in French. The second walked over to the passenger side of the car and stared at the brunette intensely._

 _"Yes. My wife and I just received a call from my mother in Switzerland. My father is quite ill, so we are hoping to get across the boarder this evening" he told him calmly._

 _The German officer stared silently at Collins for a moment and looked over at_ _Béatrice, eyeing her as well._ _"Papers please." Collins nodded and reached over to the glove compartment, pulling out a few pieces of paper and handing them to the German officer. He took them and looked them over before looking up at the pair. He motioned for the other officer to join him and he did so. The two men spent about three minutes looking over the papers together, muttering to one another in German in a distance away from the car, still she could understand everything they were saying._

 _"They're trying to make sure that the paper's aren't fake"_ _Béatrice suddenly spoke up listening to the conversation. "Apparently they've had problems with that."_

 _"Do they think they are fake?" Collins asked staring at them._

 _"They are debating" she shrugged simply. The two officers then turned to the car and walked back towards it. They both came to the driver's window and handed back Collins the papers._

 _"How long have you been married?" the second officer suddenly asked._

 _"Almost a year"_ _Béatrice replied immediately, smiling brightly._

 _The second soldier eyed her closely once more and muttered something in a language she didn't understand. The first soldier looked between the two of them and nodded._

 _"Then where are your wedding rings?" the first officer asked._

 _Béatrice felt her heart stop and the next thing she knew, the officers had opened the driver seat doors and grabbed Collins out of it. "Run!" he exclaimed to the German. She quickly opened the door and ran towards the nearby alleys. The first officer yelled and commanded the second to run after her in German. She looked behind her and saw he was gaining on her. She darted to one of the nearby alleys and dropped to the ground behind some nearby trash cans. She put her hand over her mouth to conceal her breathing. She listened for any sign of the soldier. But there was nothing._

 _Silence was the only sound that she heard. Slowly she moved to see if there was anyone near, but there was nothing but darkness. She was safe. For now at least. She stood up and let out a breath. As she did, she was grabbed and thrown against the nearby brick wall before a hand was wrapped around her throat. She finally was able to get a look at her attacker and it was the German officer. She kicked him in the stomach hard, but it did nothing._

 _"You bitch!" he yelled at her. She kicked him once more and scratched his arm as hard as she could, causing him to scream out in pain. He let go of her and_ _Béatrice ran down the alley again. She felt her entire body slammed to the ground once more as the German toppled on her. She was flipped over and saw him wrap his hands around her throat. She gasped heavily for air and her hand flexed on the ground. She felt something sharp, a piece of glass beside her. Using all the strength she could, she grabbed it and slammed it into the neck of the German soldier. He screamed loudly as blood gushed out of his wound. He got off of her before hitting the brick wall with his back and fell to the ground dead._

 _She slid down the wall with tears in her eyes. He was dead. She starting shaking and her mind kept replaying the scene over and over again. A hand them grabbed her, causing her to jump and scream. She looked up and only saw Collins. His head had a cut on the top of it and he looked as though he had just come out of a fight._

 _"Are you alright?" he crouched down in front of her._ _Béatrice looked down at her bloodied hands, breathing heavily. She had never killed someone before. She had never imagined that she would have to. But she had to. To protect herself. She had killed someone. She looked up at Collins and nodded quickly. This was her life now._

* * *

Béatrice threw her finished cigarette to the ground. "We made it to the Swiss boarder eventually and then took a plane to London. I was shaken when I arrived, but despite that...I was still very determined. They spent the first few days debriefing me, making sure I understood that I knew what I would have to do. I think they were afraid I would back out at any moment. Once they finished, I just started waiting around for letters from my father. As I did, they started prepping me for the field. How to flirt, do my makeup, how to act. Not that it wasn't useful, but they should have done more. But I am a woman" she rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'm starting to learn that the mindset towards women is just...well frankly...it's unfair. I'm more than just a pretty face. I just wish the world would see that one day. However, I had a friend. Another agent. She understood my frustration and decided to do something about it. Taught me how to fight and shoot. Actually...when I was learning to shoot...that's how I met Alexander."

* * *

 _Béatrice tapped her pencil boredom on her desk. For days, she had patently been awaiting a letter fron her father, however, nothing had come get. As a result, she was dreadfully bored. It seemed as though that this would be her life now. When she wasn't decoding letters from her father, she was a glorified secretary or doing absolutely nothing. She looked up and saw Peggy Carter coming towards her desk._

 _Stopping, the British woman smiled at her. "You look like you are having the time of your life currently. You keep tapping that pencil hard enough, they may even decide to give you a new one."_

 _The German shot her a look of disbelief and sighed. "Is this what it's always like?"_

 _Peggy shrugged slightly and nodded. "Some days yes unfortunately. But other days, some people actually realize we are more capable than just sitting around."_

 _Béatrice put her hands in her face and sighed loudly. "I wasn't aware that this is what I signed up for. I feel completely and utterly useless. Why am I here? There's talk of putting me out in the field, yet they won't teach me how to survive. It's almost as they believe I'm expendable."_

 _"Trust me, I know the frustration. Dealt with the same thing when I first arrived" Peggy explained to her. The British agent stopped and then looked at her curiously. "However, you're a bit luckier than I was. I would say."  
_

 _"Why do you say that?"_ _Béatrice frowned up at her._

 _"Because you've got a friend who's going to teach you some tricks" she smiled brightly at her. "Come with me." With that Peggy grabbed her hand and pulled her off to God knows where._

 _Peggy took_ _Béatrice to an open field. At first, she was completely confused as to why she was taken there, but as soon as Peggy pulled out a small pistol from her handbag, it became clear. She was going to teach her how to shoot. Peggy had taken the time to set up some targets that consisted of glass bottles, clearly something that she had done before teaching the German. She had explained how to pull the trigger and load the gun and now all she had to do was hit her targets._

 _The first few times proved to be unsuccessful._ _Béatrice hadn't even managed to hit anything at all. Lowering her hand, she sighed deeply._

 _"You're thinking about it too much" Peggy commented walking over to her. "You just need to clear your mind. Take a deep breath."_ _Béatrice nodded her head and turned to the targets._

 _"Peggy!" she heard a voice exclaimed. She turned around and saw a man with blonde hair in an Army uniform running towards them. He must have been another officer or agent, she thought._

 _"Alexander" Peggy responded happily. "Welcome back!"_

 _"Thank you" he nodded at her in response. He looked over at_ _Béatrice with curious eyes, his eyes wandering up and down her._ _"Who's your friend?"_

 _"Captain Alexander McPherson, meet_ _Béatrice Faust. She's a new agent" Peggy introduced her._

 _McPherson's face fell slightly. "Faust? As in Oskar Faust? This is the daughter?" Peggy only nodded and McPherson looked over at her and offered her a hand. She took it and shook it. "Nice to meet you" he said quickly. "I see you're teaching her to shoot."_

 _"Yes she is"_ _Béatrice interjected, smiling. "I'm afraid I didn't know how to."_

 _"Well better to learn than not know how to if the situation calls for it, I suppose" McPherson shrugged. "I suppose you and I shall be working together on some missions I hear."_

 _"I beg your pardon?" the German frowned. "I will be?"_

 _Peggy let out a loud sigh. "No one has told her yet Alexander. She hasn't been briefed for missions yet."_

 _"Oh" his eyes went wide. "The Colonel just informed me this morning. I wasn't aware. I just wanted to know what I would be getting myself into and I guess she's it."_

 _Béatrice continued to frown at him. What he would be getting himself into? What did that mean? She found this American to be quite strange. He was almost off putting to her in a way. He didn't look at her in fear as many did, but more with an annoyance. She wondered why he felt that way about her. "Well, I look forward to working with you" she suddenly spoke up._

 _"Yes" he began looking her up and down with a strange look on his face. "Should be interesting...anyway, I've got to run Peg. I'll see you around. Agent Faust." With that he turned a heel and began to walk off. He was very strange_ _Béatrice decided. Very strange indeed._

 _"He's odd" she commented as she watched him continue to walk into the distance. "Is he always that..."_

 _"Strange?" Peggy spoke. "Not really. Alexander's well...he's got himself a girlfriend back home. He's got it in his head that he can't even look at another woman. For some reason he thinks that every woman is a threat. He's almost like a teenage girl trapped in the body of a man." She turned her attention back to the targets. "Now try again. Breathe. Don't think."_

 _Béatrice nodded and raised the pistol once more. Her mind went completely blank. She took a deep breath and aimed at one of the bottles. She took another deep breath before she pulled the trigger. A shot was fired, followed by the sound of breaking glass. She smiled brightly. She had done it._

 _Peggy smiled over at her. "Good job. Now can you do that another four times?"_

* * *

 _Sure enough, a mere few days later after her first meeting with Captain Alexander McPherson,_ _Béatrice was assigned to her very first mission in the field with him. It seemed easy enough. The two of them were to go to Poland and make contact with a few Jewish leaders of various ghettos. The ghettos were in need of a number of supplies such as food, any form of weapon that could get their hands on, and information regarding the outside world. The Nazi's had kept them isolated and they were lucky if they knew what was going on outside the walls of their forced occupation._

 _The two of them sat on a train to Warsaw. The entire trip, McPherson had barely uttered a word to her. Peggy had warned her of McPherson's already strange behavior, but made her promise to be nice to him. He wasn't always this way, he was just worried about his relationship. She was right. He was a teenage girl stuck in the body of a man. She looked over at him from across the compartment as he read over their covers for the mission. He didn't looked pleased at all with it._

 _"It says here we've been married for two years. We met in Germany and are finally taking a honeymoon I promised you because when we got married, I was too busy studying engineering at university" he suddenly announced. "This is very detailed. It's almost like they are expected us to play these parts full out."_

 _"Why shouldn't we?"_ _Béatrice spoke in response. "They are our covers after all. We have to make people believe that we are married and madly in love. It's not that difficult."_

 _McPherson looked up at her and shrugged. "Well we don't have to play them that well...I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but I do have a girlfriend back home. Evelyn. She's my world and I am a one woman kind of guy...I just don't want to do anything to jeopardize that relationship."_

 _"Oh my god, you're ridiculous" she huffed loudly rolling her eyes. "Do I have to honestly spell it out for you? I don't like you...well in that way. I'm not here to ruin your relationship with your girlfriend. I'm not that type of person. My priority first and foremost is my family. Getting them out of Germany is the only reason I'm here. I'm not here to find a man, get married and live happily ever after. I'm here for my family. To stop the man who has turned my country into hateful ruins. Nothing else."_

 _His eyes went wide with a hint of fear in them, almost as he struck a nerve. "You really need to get over this fear of ruining your relationship" she continued. "If you really loved this girl, being around other women wouldn't be an issue. You barely look at any of us anyway, so I don't understand why you feel so threatened."  
_

 _McPherson's mouth dropped open and he tried to speak, but nothing came out. "I...I..."_

 _"If you're going to say something, do it" she looked at him crossing her arms._

 _"Never mind" he spoke looking down at the folder. "You're right. You're completely right...at least...I think...I've never had someone be that bold with me."_

 _"We're in the middle of a war, you have to be bold" she replied looking out the window._

* * *

 _Once the pair arrived in Warsaw, they waited until nightfall to make their way to the ghetto. Carrying suitcases with false bottoms lined with supplies needed in the ghetto._ _Béatrice didn't know what to expect as they walked to the ghetto, but what she saw shocked her. It was a large wall surrounding the area with guards all around. The pair evaded them with ease as they had been given the information needed to know their movement. They walked around the wall and stopped at the sight of a young woman with blonde hair. She looked at the two of them._

 _"The weather is getting colder" she spoke in Polish._

 _"Perhaps it will snow soon"_ _Béatrice responded to her in the native tongue._ _McPherson looked at her in confusion and it became obvious that he didn't speak Polish at all. It was left to her to converse with the Jewish people._

 _The blonde nodded and smiled. Their code had worked out and she knew she was with friends."My name is Frumka. I am one of the couriers here" she spoke. "I am afraid we do not have much time. We have about four minutes before the guard comes back around this way."  
_

 _"We have some of the supplies you all requested"_ _Béatrice replied to her in Polish, causing McPherson's eyes to go wide again. "It's not everything, but we managed at least the most important items."_

 _"Bless you both" Frumka smiled as she took both of the suitcases from the two. "May God bless you. I have the information regarding the information requested. It is a list of the Jewish leaders and their location in Poland. They are scattered I am afraid, but I hope it will help save my people."_

 _"Any information will help" the German nodded her head. "I am sorry for what is being done. It's not right. I hope the Nazi's will pay for what they've done to you."_

 _Frumka smiled at her sadly. "It's wonderful to hear that from a German. Many believe that they all want us gone. You're proof that they are not."_

 _"You have friends in the Germans"_ _Béatrice began. "They are difficult to find, but we are all not against you." Frumka smiled once more and nodded at her. With that, she disappeared into the night and the two S.S.R agents quickly fled the scene before they were captured. As they made their way through Warsaw, McPherson told her something she didn't expect. He told her she was a fine agent and he was glad to be working with her. Perhaps her boldness had changed his mind about everything._

* * *

"Many of my missions were like that. Saving people, smuggling supplies to Jewish communities, getting information to those who needed it, and if I could get them out of the country" she continued to explain staring straight ahead. "Typically everything went smoothly. I had a couple of close calls here and there. Had to flirt with a German officer or two to get out safely. Create a diversion to prevent myself from getting caught, but nothing that too difficult. But then Vienna happened..."

* * *

 _December 1941 Vienna, Austria_

 _She pulled her coat closer to her while she walked through the quiet streets of Vienna. It was well past midnight by the sound of the clock chimes. Béatrice continuous looked around her surroundings. Nothing was there for now. The wind continued to nip at her face and she wished nothing more to get into the warmth of a house._ _Christmas was only a mere few weeks away and by the looks of some of the decorations on many of the Austrian houses, they were ready for it. She tried her best to ignore the swastika on many of the houses as well, but each time she passed one, she felt herself cringe. Happy Christmas from the Nazi Party indeed._

 _As she continued to her destination, she went back and thought about what she had to do. Colonel Phillips had instructed her to smuggle Maurice Adler, a brilliant Jewish surgeon out of Vienna along with his family. Phillips believed that his skills would be useful in the American hospitals and as a result made contact with the family to arrange for a way out of the country. Just like her. Just like her family one day. It was a routine mission. She had been doing similar ones for months and it seemed easy. Nothing to worry about at all._

 _As she approached the safe house the Adler family was placed in, she continued to look around. It was quiet in Vienna. It wasn't unusual, but something felt off. It was too quiet for her liking. Typically there would have been at least some noise. She brushed it off and walked up to a house. Knocking on the door, she waited a moment before it slowly opened. An older woman appeared in the doorway._

 _"It's a clear night tonight" she spoke quietly in a heavy German accent._

 _"Perfect for looking at the stars" Béatrice replied staring directly at her. The woman nodded and motioned for her to come inside the house. The brunette followed her down a hallway and to a door. Opening it, she walked down a series of steps into the basement._

 _"Herr Adler?" she spoke. "My name is Agent Faust. I'm here to escort you out of the country."_

 _Adler appeared to be in his late fifties. He was bald with circular glasses resting on his nose. He looked at_ _Béatrice in disbelief for a moment and then smiled. "God bless you" he smiled brightly to her, taking his hands in her own. "Thank you. Thank you." He turned to a dark corner and a woman and five children appeared. She assumed it was his family. His wife Anna and their children Adina, Abel, Berel, Chanan, and Fruma. "It's alright. She's here to take us away."_ _Anna let out a happy sob and looked at the German agent and spoke words of kindness to her in Hebrew. It was moment like these that_ _Béatrice loved her job more than anything else. She was helping people._

* * *

 _Béatrice led the Adler family quietly out of the house. Looking around, she saw that the streets were still empty. She motioned the family to follow her. They had about a mile walk to their meet up point with some of the other .S.R. agents waiting to take the Adler's to their safe house. The group walked down the street with_ _Béatrice looking around constantly. She led them down a dark alleyway and as they turned a corner, she jumped at the sight of three German officers. They looked at her in confusion and then at the family._

 _One of them immediately spied the yellow stars worn by the family._ _"Jews" he spat loudly. The next thing that was heard was the sound of three shots from a pistol and each of the officers fell to the ground dead._

 _The pistol didn't shake at all in_ _Béatrice's hand. She didn't even flinch. It was too risky for them to be caught. She had been given her orders. Do everything necessary to get the Adler's to safety. She looked behind at the family who was staring at her in shock. She opened her mouth to speak, but the sound of a whistle and the screams of other German officers caused her to stop. Soon there was a group of them who appeared at the end of the alley._

 _"Come on! Quickly now" she exclaimed to the family. They all began to ran down in the opposite direction of the alley. The sounds of soldiers and sirens were getting louder and louder._ _Béatrice knew that soon they would have no place to hide. She would have to improvise._

 _She stopped running and turned to Adler. "Keep running straight ahead for about a mile. There are people waiting. Take your family, don't look back."_

 _"What about you?" the doctor looked at her in confusion._

 _"I'll be right behind you. Now go!" she told him._

 _Adler looked as he wanted to protest more, but a look from_ _Béatrice made him not. He quickly grabbed his wife and huddled his children. The family made a break for it. The sound of a whistle caused her ears to perk up again. Turning around, she saw a group of German soldiers running down the alley from a distance. She reached into her bag and prayed that what she was about to do would work. She had no other choice. She hated herself for what she was about to do especially since Vienna was such a lovely city. Pulling out two grenades, she pulled at the top and rolled them down the alleyway before running off as fast as she could. Only seconds later there was a large explosion that erupted throughout the alley. She dropped to the ground and breathed heavily. She took a moment before she got up and turned. The alley was lit in flames and spreading quickly. She took another moment to stare at the damage before running off into the night._

* * *

 _Colonel Phillips looked at the ash-covered agent in disbelief. He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it once more. He stood up and paced around the room, contemplating everything that he had been told. Agent Carter on the other hand looked quite pleased with Béatrice's work, but the other female agent knew full well not to say anything yet. The aging colonel turned directly to face her and he pursed his lips._

 _"Let me make sure I'm understanding everything Faust" he began slowly. "You almost were apprehended with the Adler family and to prevent it you blew up a portion of the neighborhood and shot three Nazi officers."_

 _"And managed to still get the family to the drop off site, unharmed" Agent Carter spoke up smirking slightly._

 _Phillips raised his eyebrows to the British agent. "Enough Carter" he huffed. "If I want your opinion, I shall ask for it." He turned his attention back to_ _Béatrice. "Faust, despite the fact that you did get the Adler family to the drop off site, do you realize what you did?"_

 _"Simply improvising" she shrugged at him. "I did what was necessary to get the Adler's safely delivered. Wasn't that the mission?"_

 _"THE MISSION?" Phillips exclaimed raising his voice. "You were to get the Adler's out quietly, not make so much goddamn noise in Vienna. You're lucky no one saw you. You're lucky you haven't gotten caught. Are you sure no one saw you?"_

 _"Positive" Béatrice nodded her head at him. "Only the three officers and I'm sure they will be keeping silent in the grave." Peggy pursed her lips together and looked over at Colonel Phillips, who was shaking his head._

 _"You're grounded Faust" Phillips told her point blank._

 _"Excuse me?" Béatrice looked at him in shock._

 _"Colonel Phillips..." Agent Carter began.  
_

 _"Until further notice. You may think you didn't make noise, but I'm not chancing it. Until we get full confirmation that no one knew it was you, you are being reassigned._ _"Pack your bags Faust. You're headed stateside."_

* * *

Bucky stared at the ground, his eyes widened as Béatrice finished her story. He couldn't believe everything that he had just heard. Everything he wanted to know, he had answers for. She was risking her life for a country she loved and for people she cared about. It was dangerous, but she was a hero. She wasn't anything that he had expected at all. She was more than anything he ever imagined. In that moment he realized how wrong he had been.

"And that's how I ended up here. Punishment for what I consider to be simply making too much noise. I've been corresponding with my father and decoding messages still. But the last letter I received...something wasn't right. His letter...it was too formal. Two of the code words my father and I agreed to use were enclosed in the letter as well. 'Curiouser and curiouser' meaning that someone was watching him as he wrote. The second was 'Cheshire Cat.' My brother is back. My brother is dangerous now. They've poisoned him" she said looking down at her hands. She took another deep breath. "I have to get back to Europe. I have to get them out of there. If anyone or Christoph discovers what we're doing. They'll die. The government is dangerous and they turned my brother into someone I don't even know." She paused for a moment and shook her head. "That's everything. Now maybe you understand why I kept everything from you. Not only is it classified, but how do you even begin to explain something like that to someone? You can't really, so I didn't." She looked over at James and saw him just staring down at the ground. It was almost if he was refusing to move completely and didn't want to acknowledge her. It was no use. She got up, taking a deep breath, and turned to head back to camp. She stopped one last time, turning back to him.

"Even though I'm standing by what I said earlier, I am sorry I lied and hurt you. I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me. We are on the same side after all."

He heard Béatrice finally leave from behind, leaving him to his thoughts. He understood everything now. Why she had kept everything from him. Why she was doing this. It was a necessity. She was right. He had no reason to be angry at her at all. He was upset because he cared about her. He didn't want anything to happen to her. That was the issue. He was starting to feel something that he knew damn well he shouldn't. It terrified the hell out of him. His sparked curiosity was something he had never felt for another woman before. She wasn't like anyone he had ever met and that is why he liked her so much. She had said that she hoped he could forgive him, but the thing was, there was nothing to forgive. She needed forgive him what what he had done. For what he had said. He should have called out to her. He should have gone after her and stopped her. But he didn't. Oh what a fool he was.

 **I am so sorry this chapter took so long, but as you can see...it's very very long. Thank you so much for all of the reviews, favs, and follows. I'm so surprised at how many I have and it makes me so happy that you all are enjoying it. Next update may be just as long. I'm going to be without a computer starting Friday until probably Wednesday. I'll have an iPad, but I realized they are a bit hard to writer extensive chapters on. I'm going to try and get one more chapter squeezed out before Friday, but I can't make any promises. Regardless there will be a new chapter soon. Let me know your thoughts and read and review!**

 **Guest Review Replies:**

 **BeccaSco: Glad you are loving it and here's your update darling!**

 **Guest: Glad you are enjoying it. Yeah Bucky's not being too smart during certain moments. I'm sorry I had to keep you waiting, but I love your enthusiasm for checking for updates so often. I do the same thing!**

 **Love: I'm the exact same way. I love anything relating to the 1940s and you're definitely right, there's not too many fics relating to Bucky during this time. Don't get me wrong there are so many good Bucky fics on here, but a lot pertain to the WS. Your kind words made me so happy, I was so nervous about getting characters right. Thank you so much for saying that I'm doing a good job. Even though I'm writing this, I'm rooting so so hard. I'm loving writing their relationship. I have a lot planned for them. It's gonna be a slow burn, but worth it.**

 **Guest: I'm so glad you're loving it and that I was able to deliver something you were searching for. Yeah...Bucky's definitely regretting it a lot.**

 **Guest: Bukcy is the master of being smooth currently. Agent Faust will always have to work hard. She's a bit like Peggy. She's going to constantly have to prove herself, but she's at an even more disadvantage being German. But don't worry, she won't give up. Glad you are enjoying the story!**

 **Guest: I'm so sorry I broke your heart! I needed some drama. I love fluff, but I wanted Bucky to learn about what Beatrice did before he was finished at boot camp for a specific reason, so it had to be done, but as you can see, Bucky is really regretting his actions, so maybe things will work out.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize**

Bucky continued to stare out into the night. He hadn't moved from his spot on the bench he didn't know how much time had passed since Béatrice had walked away. Since he had let her walk away. As more and more time passed, he regretted not going after her more and more. He should have stopped her and pulled her into his arms, begging for forgiveness. He had been such an idiot. What was wrong with him? He never would have acted this way in Brooklyn when it came to another other dame. But maybe that was the problem. Béatrice Faust wasn't just any other dame. She was special and he was going to be a damn fool if he let her get away. McPherson was completely right. If he let her get away, he'd regret it for the rest of his life.

He sighed heavily and ran his hands through his hair. He had to fix this. How though? If he had made any other girl at home upset, he'd just have to sweet talk her or bring her a always did the trick. However, something told him that he wouldn't be able win Béatrice over that easily. No, he'd had to think outside of the box. He'd have to give her everything he had. It was going to take something spectacular. His lips twitched to the side and he put his hands into his pockets. He felt something in it and pulled out a folded piece of blank paper. Staring at it for a moment, an idea dawned on him. He quickly sat up and patted his chest. He had to have a pen or pencil somewhere on him. Reaching into the breast pocket of his jacket, he found a pent.

Bucky then put the piece of paper down on the bench and began to write furiously. This was something he had never done before. He was going to give Béatrice Faust everything he could. Silently as he wrote, he prayed for a miracle and prayed that he hadn't lost her forever.

* * *

Alexander sat at his desk in his quarters reading a newspaper intently. He didn't know why he continued to read the rubbish that was printed every day because it was getting to the point where the same news was being reported over and over. It was nothing new. He could get a better description of what was truly happening overseas from anyone else. He mumbled to himself, damning the reporters before putting the paper back on his desk. He grabbed a nearby coffee mug and a flask sitting beside it. He opened it and poured the contents of the flask into the coffee mug. It was just one of those days.

Hearing a knock on the door, he groaned, having to set down his mug of whiskey. "It's open" he called out. The door opened and he turned around to see Béatrice walking in. He was surprised, but pleased to see her. However, she still didn't look like herself. She looked tired and even more upset that he had seen her previously. She silently walked over to his desk and sitting in the chair next to it. She looked at him with a blank face and grabbed the coffee mug.

"That's not..." he stopped as she down the mug and made a face as she realized what she had just tasted. "...tea." Her eyes went wide and she jerked her head back ever so slightly, putting the mug back down on the table. She looked back up at him and blinked a number of times. "So is everything alright...?" his voice trailed off.

"I told him" she replied simply.

Alexander frowned at her statement. He didn't understand what she was saying. Told who what exactly? "You told him...?"

"James. I told him the truth" Béatrice blinked at him.

He felt his mouth fall open. "Oh boy" he said grabbing his flask, quickly opening it, and pouring the rest of the whiskey into the coffee mug. "You need this more than I do." He handed it back to her and she nodded before taking a large gulp from it again.

"Now when you say you told him, how much are we talking?" he looked at her curiously. "The basics of what you do or..."

"Everything" she interjected.

"Everything" he said as his eyes went big, feeling himself going into shock. He grabbed the mug from her and downed the rest of the whiskey swiftly.

"Hey I thought I needed it more?" the German protested, glaring at him.

"We're both too sober for this. We both need it" Alexander looked at her. He paused for a moment and his eyes flicked between his friend and the floor. "So. What did he say?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing" Béatrice sighed heavily shaking her head.

The blonde shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes silence is a good thing. Perhaps he's just trying to wrap his head around everything. It is a lot to process anyway." He stopped talking once more when another realization hit him. His friend had just revealed classified information to another soldier. A recruit of all people. Someone who shouldn't even have access to anything. If that information got out, their entire mission could be compromised. A year's worth of work completely destroyed. "I hate to ask this given the circumstances, but are you sure he can trust him with this information. You know how dangerous it would be if this got out. Everything you've done would be at risk. Your family..."

The brunette nodded her head. "I know...I mean I have no reason not to. We haven't heard anything throughout camp today. He went the whole day without saying anything. I...I...I know I shouldn't have, but...Alexander...I...didn't know what to do...I just..." The rim of her eyes filled with tears and she stopped, shaking her head.

Alexander sat back in his chair, sighing. "You care about him."

"It's ridiculous I know" Béatrice wiped a stray tear from her eye. "It was a terrible decision."

Her friend smiled at her sadly. "No it's not. When we care about people, we want them to know who we are. Who we really are. Our strengths, our flaws, and everything that makes us simply us. If we don't, then we're not showing our true selves. Did I ever tell you about what happened when I met Evelyn?"

She looked at him strangely. "You met her while dancing? She was being bothered and you stepped in?"

Alexander smiled at her and nodded. "Well yes, but there's more to the story. You see, Evelyn comes from a very prominent family. Her father is a senator and obviously very well off. I'm not. The reason I joined the military was to be able to provide for myself and my family. I had seen Evelyn at that club for weeks, but never could muster the courage to go ask her to dance because what senator's daughter would want to dance with a poor farm boy from southwestern Virginia? However, when I finally did get enough courage to talk to her and I told her the truth you know what? It didn't matter. She looked past it. What mattered was that I cared about her and vice versa. When you care about something, the bad stuff doesn't matter that much."

Béatrice looked over at him and tried to blink away some stray tears that were falling down her face. He reached over and wiped them with his thumb."And if James Barnes really cares about you like he's acted for the past few weeks, he'll be able to look past this too. If not, well then he's not worth anymore tears. You deserve better."

She sniffed and nodded her head at him, giving him a small smile. "You're a good friend Alexander. Thank you."

"Don't mention it" he said returning a smile. "Now wipe those tears and I'll walk you back to your quarters. It's getting late."

* * *

Alexander and Béatrice walked side by side on the way to her quarters. They kept the conversation light and to a minimum as he could still tell that she was upset and probably didn't want to be bombarded with questions regarding Barnes. As a result, they talked about possibilities of places they may be assigned to once they were finished at Camp McCoy. He told her how he had hoped they would get a few days off so they could go to Washington D.C. together so his best friend could finally meet his future bride. After all, Evelyn had been writing about it nonstop in her letters to him, always asking when he would bring the German woman to visit her after hearing so many wonderful things about her. He was glad Evelyn liked her. He felt that Béatrice would like her as well.

As they approached the quarters, he noticed the brunette stop dead in her tracks, her breath hitching. He frowned at her confusion and looked over to where she was staring. Sitting on the steps in front of her quarters was James Barnes. Alexander had to admit he was surprised. He figured it would take Barnes at least a few days to come around if he did at all. Yet, he was now sitting and appeared to be waiting for Béatrice to return. Did he finally come to his senses or was it something else. He looked over and looked at her. She looked worried as she stared at him.

"Need me to stay?" Béatrice heard Alexander say as he nudged her arm gently.

"No I'll be fine" she replied her eyes still on James. From the corner of her eye, she could see Alexander's hesitation, but after a moment, he respected her wishes and turned to leave the pair alone. If anything went wrong, he knew she'd come and find him.

It took a moment for Béatrice to move from the spot she was standing. It was almost if she was bound to it, unable a move. Her nerves were slowly creeping up. She wished she had a cigarette on her in that moment and cursed herself for finishing her last one only hours before. Slowly, she began the tense journey closer to him. It felt as though a million thoughts were going through her head. She was indeed curious as to why he was in front of he quarters. Part of her hoped that he had given some thought to what she had said and things would be good between them. However, she was worried that the opposite would happen. Maybe this was his goodbye to her forever. She did kill people after all and she had a few near death experiences. Maybe he didn't want to associate with someone so reckless.

As she approached closer, he stood up. Licking his lips, she could see that there was something in his hand. A piece of paper. She wondered what it was.

She stopped a mere five feet away from him and took a deep breath. "What do you want?"she asked quietly.

James nervously looked at her, fidgeting with the thing piece of paper in his hands. He looked down and then back up at her. "I...I thought about everything you told me. After you left, all I could think about was how I could fix this and well I wasn't sure how, but then...I wrote you something and..." He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "If it's okay with you, I'd like to read it to you." Béatrice shifted uncomfortably as she stood and nodded her head. She didn't know what to expect from this. Her nerves were growing by the second.

He nodded as well and then looked down at the piece of paper. He took another deep breath. It was now or never, he told himself. What he was about to say would either make or break his friendship...his relationship with the woman standing before him. "Béatrice" he began. "This could be by far one of the stupidest things I have ever done in my life. Normally when I upset a woman, I usually go with sweeping them off their feet by as you have so artfully put it "sweet talking" them. But considering you seem immune to that charm at times, I realized you deserve more. I thought about flowers, but considering it's the middle of winter, we're in the middle of nowhere, and I don't even know your favorite flowers, it wasn't possible. But again I realized you deserve more than that. I then came to the conclusion that you seemed like the type a person where you didn't need anything. A simple apology would suffice, but you deserve more than just a simple apology. So, this is why I'm writing this. I was a complete and utter idiot with how I reacted to finding out what you did." He stopped for a moment and looked up at her. She was avoiding his gaze and her face was full of confusion. He quickly looked down and went back to reading.

"When I first met you, I didn't know what to make of you" he continued. "I was curious as to who you were and why you were here like everyone else. Why would a German be helping the Americans? It seemed like nothing more than a fantasy. However, when we first met and I talked to you, I realized you were something special. I told you that you had passion in your eyes and it was something I had never seen before. It remains true to this day. I grew more curious about you as a result. I have to admit, you were right about me. When I was in Brooklyn, I could get any girl I wanted, but you instead of falling head over heels for me, you kept a level head and at a distance. You're not easy you know that? Trying to get you to even look at me was not easy, but it made me more determined. Nothing's ever been hard for me and I liked that once in my life I had to work to get to know you. Get your name and anything information about who you were. You were and are by far the most infuriating woman I ever met."

Bucky paused once more and rubbed a hand on the back of his head. He couldn't bare to look up and see her face. He was too afraid to. "The night I walked you home from the bar and we had tea, you finally opened up to me. You were so much more than what I expected. Hearing you talk about your favorite books, your family and why you decided to go against your entire home country allowed me to fully see how passionate, how loyal, and frankly amazing you are. You're not like anyone I have ever met. I meant what I said about you being more than just a German. When I look at you all I see is Béatrice. The girl I would say loves Wonderland more than real life itself. The girl who smokes when she gets nervous. The girl who for once made me work for something. Then when I found out what you did, I couldn't believe it. That the same woman that I had spent so much time getting to know was capable of being a spy, risking her life everyday. You are the strongest, bravest, most selfless person I have ever met. You should be proud of what you do. You save lives. You have saved lives. You're fighting for what you believe in. That's nothing for someone to be upset about. I was a fool for being so upset. For saying all those things to you. I think I was just scared. I just don't want anything to happen to you. For some reason, I'm not sure how I could live knowing something happened."

He swallowed the large lump in his throat as his eyes flicked to his last few sentences. "You said that you hoped I would forgive you. I'm sorry doll, but I won't. Because I have nothing to forgive you for. I'm the one who should be asking for your forgiveness. I am so sorry for everything. I know I may not deserve your forgiveness, but I have only three weeks left with you and I'm determined to make the most of them with you if you'll let me. I don't want to lose you. I'd regret it for the rest of my life if I did."

Bucky let out a puff of air and slowly lifted his head up to look at the young woman in front of him. He was taken aback by what he saw. She had tears rolling down her cheeks. She was still avoiding his gaze by looking down at the ground. He watched as she wiped her left check with her sleeve and licked her lips. Moments went by and she kept silent. He felt defeated. She wasn't going to say anything. It was no use. He wouldn't be able to fix things. They were broken beyond repair. Taking a deep breath, he folded the piece of paper and put it into his pocket. He needed to get back to his own quarters and started to walk back to them.

"Is this how all you Americans apologize to a girl you upset or am I just special?" Frowning, he turned around and felt his spirits lifted. Béatrice had a small smile on her face as she looked at him. He had missed seeing that smile.

Walking over to her, he stopped directly in front of her. "You're just that special sweetheart" he shot her a smirk.

"Now you're just trying to sweet talk me" she sniffed as she let out a slight chuckle.

"Is it working?" he asked her raising his eyebrows.

"Maybe" she shrugged her shoulders. She pursed her lips together. "Can I see what you wrote me?" He nodded his head and reached into his pocket and handed it to her.

"Don't believe I wrote it all doll?" he asked her, smirking once more.

"Oh no, I definitely believe you wrote it" she smiled up at him. "I just want to keep it. And for the record, I would argue that this wasn't the stupidest thing you have ever done." The remark caused Bucky to give her a small smile as she put the piece of paper into her jacket pocket before looking back up at him.

The next thing Bucky knew, her arms were wrapped around his neck as she pressed her body against his own, hugging him tightly. He squeezed her just as tight, his arms wrapping around his waist, and sighed heavily. "I'm so sorry" he whispered to her. Béatrice pulled away slightly, leaning her forehead against his own. He could feel her shake her head in protest.

"Let's not talk about it anymore" she breathed quietly. "I forgive you."

He felt an entire weight lifted off of his shoulders hearing those three words. His letter had worked. He still had it. He moved his head away from her own and brushed his lips against her forehead. He felt her stiffen, but she kept any protests she had to herself.

Béatrice felt her heart flutter at the contact of his lips to her forehead. She felt herself tensing, but due to being surprised. Not uncomfortable. His lips against her skin felt nice. It felt right. He pulled away after a few moments and she looked up at him. Her eyes flicked directly to the dark bruise on his face. Reaching up, she brushed her fingers lightly against it. Despite how gentle she tried to be, he still flinched at the contact. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" she finally asked.

He bit his lip and sighed. "Johnson happened."

"James..." Béatrice sighed disapprovingly.

Bucky tightened his grip around her waist. He finally realized that two of them had yet to pull away from one another, not that he minded at all. He titled his head back and looked back down at her. "He insulted you again. I couldn't let him just get away with it. Have to defend your honor after all."

She let out a laugh and shook her head. "Always my avenger" she beamed. Then as gently as she could she placed a hand on his bad check. Standing on her tip toes she leaned forward and pressed her lips right below the bruise. She let them linger there for a few seconds and she could feel his face form on his face. "Thank you James" she breathed pulling away.

He pressed his forehead against her own once more. "Bucky" he replied in a whisper.

She pulled away and looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"That's actually what everyone calls me" he explained. "James Buchanan Barnes, but I go by Bucky. Only my mother calls me James. I just told you it was James the night we met because I thought it sounded better and I guess I was trying to impress you in a way."

"Of course you were" she laughed and rolled her eyes at him. She moved her hands and began fiddling with one of the buttons on his jacket. "So which would you prefer me to call you? Bucky or James?"

He flashed her a smile that turned into his infamous smirk. "Sweetheart, you can call me whatever you want. Just as long as you keep talking to me."

Her lips curled to the side of her mouth. "Well I like the name James, but for some reason Bucky suits you. And I really don't want to be the other person besides your mother who calls you James. It just seems...odd."

Bucky let out a laugh and pulled her closer to him. "Well I'd say there's your answer doll."

She nodded her head and smiled. "Bucky" she spoke. Her smile grew. "It definitely suits you."

"I'm glad I have your approval" he told in response.

Béatrice licked her lips and looked back at the bruise on his cheek. "You should probably deal with that. Make sure it doesn't get infected or anything." She removed herself from his grip and took his hand in her own. "Come on I have stuff in my quarters." He nodded his head in response and felt his heart beam with joy. Everything was right again. He had three weeks left and it was now time to make the most of it. He was going to do exactly that. Besides, a lot could happen in three weeks.

* * *

Rain poured from the sky throughout the camp. The day had started off as a bright clear, but still chilly day. However, by the time the early afternoon came, the skies turned dark and it began to rain. It was a downpour and as a result, the camp started to flood, thus suspending many of the operations for a day, giving the recurits a much needed rest of the day off. Béatrice stared at the camp from her window inside her quarters as she made tea. She shivered slightly as the heat from her small fireplace barely gave off any warmth.

Turning around, she looked over at her bed on the corner and saw a sleeping Bucky on it. Immediately when the order was given to suspend all operations, he made his way to her quarters taking the opportunity to spend time together earlier than they normally would. They had been sitting on the bed talking and eventually he dozed off on her as she was reading. Leaning against, the window frame, a small smile formed on her lips. He looked so peaceful and content as he slept. Things had been good between them. Better than good actually. The highlight of her days was always spending time with him. He made her feel something that she had never experienced before. Happy and in a strange way loved. That she was the only other person in the world.

Their nightly talks still consisted of everything and everything, except now she was able to my open and honest about her life. She wasn't afraid to tell him anything. How she was frustrated with the Americans for stalling on getting her family out of Germany. How anxious she was when she hadn't heard from family. He listened intently and held her close, trying his best to console her. However, he really didn't know what kind of position she was in. He made it clear one night, but the fact that he just listened to her was enough for her. His company was enough. She was slowly finding that she trusted him with her life.

It scared her in a way. They only had a few short weeks left together. The thought of having to leave him made her sick to her stomach. She didn't want what was slowly building between to end once he was done with training. She wasn't sure what exactly happened between them, but she wanted to keep Bucky Barnes in her life. A part of her hoped he felt the same way, but she was too much of a coward to ask. However, she didn't know if it would be possible. She would be sent God knows where in Europe and from there anything could happen. She'd have missions constantly. He would one day get his orders and for all she knew, they would be no where remotely close to one another. Timing was a horrible thing she decided.

As the tea kettle whistled, it snapped her out of her thoughts. She walked over to the stove and pulled the pot off it. She poured the hot water and tea bags into two cups. Turning around, she walked over to the bed and set the two cups of tea on the beside table. Bucky was curled up to the side of the bed as he had been earlier when she was sitting on the bed with him. He hadn't moved since she got up and made tea. She crawled on to the bed as gently as she could in order not to wake him. She rolled over on her side to face him and stared silently.

He was very handsome. Probably the most handsome man she had ever met and just being near him made her stomach flutter. It wasn't nerves, but it was a sense of excitement. He wasn't like anyone she had ever met that was for sure. A stray piece of hair had fallen in front of his eyes and she boldly decided to reach over, brushing the strand back into places. Her finger tips ran through his hair ever so lightly, but still caused him to stir. Bucky's eyes slowly opened and he drew in a deep breath before his lips formed a smile.

"Hi" she greeted him in a whisper.

"Hey" he smirked, sitting up on the bed and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Sorry I guess I dozed off."

"You're allowed. You've had an exhausting few weeks" she shrugged at him. "I made some tea." She sat up herself and reached over to the bedside table and grabbed one of the cups. She handed it to him and he took it from her.

He smiled brightly and titled his head. "I had a dream about you making me tea" he said before taking a sip.

"And how does it compare to the real thing?" she raised her eyebrows before grabbing her own cup.

He shot her a smirk. "Well in the dream we were in Brooklyn at my apartment instead of being in Wisconsin, so that was nice. You were wearing this blue dress" he paused for a moment and smiled. "You looked beautiful, but the thing about dreams is that they aren't real and I'd take the real version of you any day. However, the nice thing is now I know I can dream about you. I hope I can tonight."

He saw as her cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink. She licked her lips and leaned over to set her cup down on the table. As she turned back, she jumped at him moving closer to her. He was only inches away from her face as he set him cup down on the table as well. She felt her breathe hitch due to his close proximity, but there was another part of her that wanted him even closer to her. His eyes were directly on her own, but would occasionally flicked to something else. She found herself starting stare at his lips. She wondered how it would feel to kiss him. She had never been kissed before.

He leaned ever so slightly forward, closing the gap between the two. "You have beautiful eyes" he finally spoke. Closer and closer he got to her, their lips only inches apart from one another. She felt her eyes slowly close as she prepared for impact.

A knock of the door caused them both to jump and pull away from one another. Bucky silently cursed as to whoever was at the door. He was so close to kissing her. So close. He watched as Béatrice mumbled an apology and got off the bed. Walking to the door, she pulled back a curtain that covered the window.

Alexander stood outside with his jacket covering his head. She opened the door quickly and motioned for him to come in. "Hi" he greeted walking inside. He stopped in his tracks as he saw Bucky standing in the room with his cup now in his hand. It looked as though he was taken aback by the sight."Oh I'm sorry for barging in then."

"It's quite alright" the German replied shrugging.

"Barnes" the Captain nodded his head.

"McPherson" Bucky replied doing repeating the motion.

Béatrice wouldn't say that the two were finally on good terms, but every since Bucky had apologized to her, it was almost as if there was an unspoken agreement between the two men. To at least be cordial to one another for her sake at least. They both knew they were important parts of her life and that wouldn't change, so they had to at least appear to be civil when around her.

"I got another letter from your father. It's no rush though. With the heavy rain, the radio is out of commission, so it looks as thought we won't be able to get it off to Phillips tonight anyway"

She nodded her head at her friend. "Thank you" she replied taking the letter from him. "Would you like to stay and have some tea?"

The blonde's eyes flicked over to Bucky and then back to her. "Thank you, but I have a letter from Evelyn waiting for me. Besides you're attention is needed elsewhere I would say. I'll see you in the morning." He nodded to the private and winked at his friend before opening the door to leave.

Béatrice looked down at the letter in her hands. She bit her lip, unsure whether or not she should open it now or wait until later. Feeling an arm around her waist, she looked up and saw Bucky looking at her with concern written all over his face.

"You okay doll?" he asked.

She nodded her head. "I always get anxious when I get a letter. I'm always worried its going to have bad news."

He squeezed her gently and nodded. "Sweetheart, if you want to go ahead and deal with that, you can. That's important. I can wait. Besides, I'd kind of like to see you in action, if you're okay with it."

She gave him a small smile. "I'd be more than okay with that." She took his hand that was on her waist and led him to her kitchen table.

The two of them sat down and Bucky instinctively put an arm around her, pulling her close. For a second, he wondered if she was okay with him being so affectionate with her, but she had yet to protest. Would she have wanted to kiss him earlier if they had been given the chance? He had always been very forward when it came to women and while he still was with Béatrice, he felt himself still holding back. He knew why. It was because he would be leaving soon as would she. But he didn't want to. He was dreading the last few weeks because as each day went by the closer and closer he was to leaving. Deep down he knew that one of them would have to bring up where they would go from here once the time came. The timing never seemed to work for the right moment though.

He felt his pesky thoughts completely disappear from his brain as she snuggled closer to him. He watched as she opened the envelope and pulled out two pieces of paper. One with an "X" on it and one without. He remembered how she had explained that her father always marked his coded "weather reports" with an "X" and his personal letter to her without one. She grabbed the one without the "X" and opened it, placing it in front of her face to where he could still read it himself. It hit him how much she truly trusted him to let him read the letter as well.

 _Béatrice,_

 _I trust you received my last letter. I apologize for it, but as you are aware I am sure, we had visitors and I couldn't risk anything. Your brother has returned to Munich for the time being. He informed your mother and I that he is being transferred elsewhere. I am not sure where yet, but I hope he will tell us soon. He was different during his last visit. Angrier. Almost as though he was hiding something. I fear he may be sinking deeper and deeper into this horrible government. He spoke of how we needed to bring you back from Paris and you needed to come home in order not to be tainted by the French. He also asked if your attitude towards the Jewish people have changed. I do not even recognize the young man standing in front of me anymore. He is no longer my son and if you were here, you would realize he is no longer your brother. I am sorry to trouble you with this, but you need to know the truth._

 _Your mother is doing well as she can under the circumstances. It's becoming more and more difficult for her. I can tell she wants nothing more than to leave forever and never return. I know you are doing everything you can, but please talk to the Americans. We must leave as soon as possible. I fear for our lives daily. I fear for the moment that we are discovered. I pray that day will never come though._

 _I have somewhat good news for you even though it may not seem as it. I have learned where Rifka has gone. She was taken to one of the labor camps some Jews are being sent to. A place called Auschwitz-Birkenau. My sources have told me she is alive, but that is all that has been said. No one truly know what goes on into these camps and security is everywhere. Only those involved at the camp are trusted with its workings. Hitler will not even speak of them during meetings. Only a selected few. I will try to learn more as best as I can. Keep hope though. I am positive one day you and your friend will be reunited. She is strong like you are._

 _Your mother and I both miss you terribly, but we are so proud of you. I know I have written this plenty of times, but it is the truth. Thank you for everything you are doing. You are everything we both could have wanted in a daughter. Come home to us soon._

 _Love,_

 _Your father_

The brunette felt completely flattened once she was finished reading. Luckily, there was nothing too dire in the letter that would constitute as being terrible news, but what her father had wrote did not sit well with her. There was a sense of desperation in his tone and writing. He was worried for everyone's safety. It must have meant things were going from bad to worse at home.

What he said about Christoph also plagued her thoughts. Her brother was slowly slipping away from them. He's good nature was being blackened by the Nazi's and it broke her heart as she read it over and over. Her father was right. Her brother was gone. No more was he the person who made her laugh until she cried or would wake her up late at night to sneak out to their roof to just talk. She had no brother. Not anymore.

There was a sense of relief for Béatrice though. The news of Rifka being alive lifted her spirits somewhat, but she wondered what exactly Auschwitz-Birkenau was. She knew that the Germans had planned one final solution for the Jews, but as to what it was, many, including her father were unaware. Hitler was either being paranoid of his inner circle or extremely selective of who would be told what information. Still, something wasn't sitting right with her. Why would Rifka be sent to a labor camp instead of a ghetto? Were the ghettos no longer the best means for the Nazi's? There was more to this and she hoped her father would be able to find out more.

She put the letter on the table and sighed heavily. Bucky had remained quiet, but she felt him rubbing light circles on her back with his fingertips. She turned her head to look at him before she rested her head on his shoulder.

Again, he felt useless. He could see the look of worry on her face. The letter wasn't bad news, but he could see obviously that it wasn't good news. He knew that she was getting annoyed with the constant pushing aside the military was giving her when it came to her family. This must have only added to it. She signed up for this to get her family out of Germany and yet they were still there. Worrying day and night if something would happen to them. He brushed his lips against her scalp, giving her head a light kiss. "What can I do to help sweetheart?" he asked her.

There was a moment of silence before she spoke. "Can you just hold me?" she asked him. "Could we just pretend for a moment that there's no war? That my family isn't in constant danger? That we don't have to leave soon?"

Bucky cupped her cheek with his hand, brushing his thumb against it, and moving her head look up at him. "I'll hold you as long as you want me to darling. I'm not letting go I promise." He gave her a swift peak on the forehead and wrapped his arms around her tightly, making due on his promise. His chin rested on the top of her head. He wished that everything she had said wasn't happening. He wished there was a way for the Americans to win the war without him having to leave. For her family to be pulled out from Germany. Most importantly, that they didn't have to leave one another. Oh, how he wished that they could have stayed in that moment forever. He didn't want to let her go and deep down he knew that he wouldn't even be able to even if he tried.

 **There you have it! This might be the last chapter for a bit. I'm going to try and push through how slow typing on an iPad can be and maybe try and get a new chapter up. I can't make any promises, but like I said, I'll be hopefully getting a new computer on Wednesday. That way I can try and get another chapter up. We'll soon be getting into some CA: TFA story lines really soon. I'm quite excited about it and I hope you all will enjoy it. Thanks as always for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites. You guys rock! Let me know what you thought of the chapter? What do you expect to happen? Anything you would like to see? Just let me know!**

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 **Love: 4 AM?! Holy moly! I hope you got some sleep and I didn't keep you up too much longer! Thank you so much for your kind words once again! It warms my heart and is such an honor that you see me as an inspiration. You are a sweetheart my dear. I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter and look forward to your thoughts on this chapter!**

 **Reader: Yep. He was completely a moron, but I would say he's made up for it. Don't you think?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize.**

"Intelligence believes that Auschwitz-Birkenau is somewhere in this area of the country" Alexander pointed to the bottom area of Poland on a map. "However, we can't be sure because aerial surveillance has been done and because of that we don't know what actually is going on."

"Any chance that it will be investigated further?" Béatrice bit her lip looking over at the Captain.

He simply shrugged in response. "I'm not sure to be honest. I can bring the matter up with Phillips, but right now these camps are just whispers. We don't have proof that they are even in existence yet."

She sighed heavily and ran her hands through her hair. Ever since her father had found out what had happened to Rifka, the German had made it priority to find out as much as about these labor camps as she could. However, the problem was finding the information. There were only rumors, whispers, and no evidence as to the existence or the workings of the labor camps. Even with a response letter sent to her father for as much information as he could find out, her mind would not let the matter settle. Something did not feel right to her at all. There were more to the labor camps. Her instincts were screaming it to her.

Alexander placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, squeezing gently. "Don't lose hope. There's a chance we'll find something or your father will have another letter to you any day now. If not…." He stopped and gave her a small smile. "I think we may have found our next big mission when we go back."

Béatrice nodded her head in agreement. He was absolutely right. If there was no information that could be found, they would have to take matters into their own hands. It wouldn't be easy, but they had dealt with much harder missions in the past. "Thank you" she said quietly.

"Don't mention it" he replied. "I'm just as worried about this as you are. We'll do what we have to." With that he folded the map that was spread out across his desk back up. "So, do I dare ask how things are with Barnes?" He shot her a subtle smirk causing her to roll her eyes, yet also a smile.

"If you're asking if you're going to finally be able to punch him, the answer is no" she replied with a playful glare. "Things are….things are good. However, we're leaving soon….."

"You still haven't talked about that have you?" Alexander interjected. She simply shook her head in response. "You should probably do that. You only have a few more days let with one another."

Béatrice let out sigh. She knew he was right. They did need to talk about what would happen once his training was over. Would they just leave things the way they were and forget one another? Or would they find some way to make whatever they were work? The problem was that she didn't know what they were. She had suspicions that he did feel something for her just as he probably suspected the same, but the two of them never acknowledged anything. Every time she wanted to bring it up, she hesitated. She didn't want to ruin anything between them and she would have rather had him as a friend in her life than nothing at all. She didn't want to have everything change because she had to open her mouth and bring up any romance. She didn't know what the right answer was.

"I hope you do realize how smitten he is with you" Alexander raised an eyebrow at her, breaking the silence that had formed between the two. "It would be a shame if you ended up breaking the poor private's heart."

She shot him a look of disbelief. "One we've never talked about that sort of thing and two I'm sure he'd be able to get over it quickly with some other woman he finds when he's back in Brooklyn."

The blonde looked at his friend curiously. He was surprised at what he had just heard. "And here I was thinking that you liked him and maybe actually wanted to pursue something. What's really going on?"

She shrugged a shoulder at him, looking down. "The timing is wrong. We're heading back to Europe soon, so what's the point?"

"This again…." he rolled his eyes are her.

"Yes, this again" she snapped back at him. "Alexander, my priority has always been my family. Getting them out. I can't let anything get in the way of it."

"But that doesn't mean you have to end things with Barnes" Alexander exclaimed throwing his hands up. "You have told me everything about him. All the things you have told him and what he has said. He understands you. Better than anyone else here. He wouldn't let himself get in the way of your mission." He stopped and took a deep breath. "What I'm about to say next is something you're not going to like. Béatrice, you're full of it. You keep making excuses of timing and your mission, but I don't believe it. The truth is….the truth is you're scared."

Béatrice let out a huff, crossing her arms and shook her head. "You're ridiculous."

Her friend shook his head. "No my dear you are" he told her, pointedly. "I think you had this plan in your head that you would bide your time with missions and get your parents out of German. That would be the end of it. However, now that you've met someone, its thrown a wrench in your perfect plan and you have absolutely no clue what to do."

She shook her head again, dropping to the chair beside her. She placed her arms on the desk, putting her face in her hands. This was becoming too much. She couldn't handle this. She didn't know how. She took another deep breath and looked back up at Alexander. "I don't know what to do."

Alexander gave her a sad smile and sat down beside her. "That happens sometimes when you're starting to fall in love with someone. It's confusing. It's scary, but in the end it's a beautiful thing."

The brunette looked at her friend in confusion. Was she starting to fall in love with Bucky? Could it be possible? Was she afraid because she knew she was feeling something deeper for him? She took a moment to mentally yell at herself. She should have never done this to herself. She should have stayed away, but for once in her life she listened to her heart. Her lips formed into a small smile. "And here I thought you didn't like him. That all you wanted to do was have that moment to punch him?"

"Maybe not, but in the end it doesn't matter what I think. It's what you think. I've seen the way been since you met him. You look happier. You have hope and that's something I haven't seen in you in a very long time" the blonde gave her a small smile. He walked over to her and took both of his hands in his. "I'm not going to tell you what to do. Only you can do that, but I don't want you to do something you're going to regret for the rest of your life. Take a chance once in a while. You're capable of it. Hell, look at where you are and who've you become. The Béatrice I knew eight weeks ago would never have let herself get close to someone like James Barnes. Just talk to him. You two will figure it out."

She sat back in her chair further. Alexander was right. She needed to talk to him. She needed to talk to Bucky about how she was feeling. She didn't want to, but it was necessary. Deep down, Béatrice knew there were only two possible outcomes for this and she wasn't sure which one she feared more. Losing Bucky forever or keeping him.

* * *

As she walked through the camp, the conversation with Alexander kept repeating in Béatrice's mind. She hated to admit it, but her friend was right. She was scared of her feelings for Bucky. Terrified was the better word. She had never felt what she did for him ever in her life. The fact that she would be going back to Europe soon and be away from him made it even worse. Would she ever see James Barnes again? Would he even want to? Or would he just move on to the first girl he found in Brooklyn?

Her head began to ache with all the thoughts going through it. She stopped walking and took a deep breath. This was adding to the stress she already had. She had to focus. She had to take care of this. She needed to talk to Bucky about their future and whether or not there would be one.

The next thing she knew, she felt herself grabbed from behind and a hand covering her mouth. She gasped and struggled to get herself out of whoever had grabbed her. Within seconds, she was pulled into a nearby shed and pushed against a wall, coming face to face with no one other than Bucky.

"Hi beautiful" he smiled at her.

"Bucky what on earth are you doing?" she exclaimed in response. "You scared me!"

He smirked and shrugged at her playfully. "I just wanted to see you doll. Sorry"

She raised and eyebrow at him curiously. "And why was that?"

"Cause I just wanted to and I had a question for you" he grinned mischievously.

She stayed silent for a moment waiting for him to ask her, however, he just stared at her. "So ask me" she blinked.

"Would you happen to have a radio that plays music?" he said as he grabbed one of her hands, holding it gently.

She frowned in confusion. She did have one. She had one in her quarters, not that she ever used it. She never had time to listen to music and even when she did, she completely forgot that she even had the damn thing. "Yes. Why do you need it?"

He shot her another mischievous smirk. "You'll see. Just bring it tonight will you?" Before she could answer, the sound of a trumpet was suddenly heard causing Bucky to groan in displeasure. "I hate that thing" he mumbled. He looked over at the brunette. "Bring the radio tonight. I'll see you later sweetheart." With that he leaned forward and kissed her cheek, causing her to blush. He smiled at her as he pulled away.

He turned to leave, completely oblivious to the fact that her eyes were turning glassy. Béatrice felt the tears start to fill her eyes. She didn't want to leave him. Not at all. She wanted to keep Bucky Barnes in her life, but it was impossible. She let out a quiet sob. Tonight was probably going to be one of the most difficult conversations she would ever have with him. More so than when she told him about what she did. Compared to this, that was easy. It was simple and straightforward. This was not. She had no answers nor did she know how to get them.

* * *

"I'm going to end up stepping on your feet" she groaned at him. At that moment, Béatrice was in the arms of Bucky. His left hand was wrapped around her waist and his right was in her own. Her left hand rested on his shoulder and slightly around the top of his back. When he had asked her earlier if she had a radio, never would she had thought that he needed it to teach her how to dance.

When the two of them met for their usual rendezvous, he told her, not asked her, that tonight he would be teaching her how to dance. When she responded with a huff asking how he knew she couldn't and how he was just making an assumption, he artfully went on about how she had never been on a date and been mostly to family gatherings, it made him realize she didn't know how to dance the way couples would on dates. He had been right and it shocked her how easily he was able to read her in that moment, but then again after all the time they had spent together, he had learned a lot about him. After much coaxing, she finally agreed to let him teach her.

"It won't bother me sweetheart. Trust me. Dancing is not that difficult, especially when you have a good partner like me" he flashed a grin.

She looked up at him, shooting him a look of disbelief. "Anyone tell you how modest you are?"

"It's my middle name" he smirked at her.

"And here I thought it was Buchanan" she rolled her eyes.

"Very funny Faust. Now shush" he shot back playfully. "Dancing's really simple actually. The guy leads usually, unless you have a girl who just refuses to let go of control."

She nodded her head. "Take it you know from experience?" she commented.

Bucky shrugged at her slightly. "Not every girl I danced was great, but at least I got to dance with them. That's kind of how I looked at it" he explained. "Okay, so I just want you listen to the music. It's a slow one, so just move with the music and follow me. If you step on my feet don't worry about it, okay doll?"

Béatrice nodded her head as she began to follow Bucky. The music was a slow piano tune. Something that she had never heard before. It was a very beautiful piece and something that she wished that she had been able to hear at home, but alas the Nazi's controlled everything, including the radio. She looked down at her feet trying to follow his own movement and attempt not to step on his feet. The two were smoothly moving to the music and she had to admit she was impressed with how quickly she was picking up the movement. He was a good dancer, not that she would admit it out loud.

"To be honest, I haven't been enjoying dancing with girls as much as I used to" Bucky suddenly spoke breaking the silence between them. "The reason I go on all these dates is so Steve can. I usually find a girl who has a friend and we all go out together, but like I've told you, Steve's shy and not someone girls would normally go after. It's a shame really, he's got a heart of gold, but no one will ever give him a chance."

"That's a reflection on the women then, not the man" she commented looking back up at him.

He shrugged slightly. "I'm going to spin you around now" he told her. He let go of her waist and using his right hand turn her around somewhat quickly before he pulled her back into his arms, even closer than what she had been before. It caused her lips to form into a small smile. "I just want him to have a good time, you know? He's been through a lot. But sometimes, it just gets boring. Jumping from girl to girl every other day."

"Then why don't you just find one and stick with her?" she interjected, frowning.

"Haven't found the right dame yet that I'd want to keep seeing" he explained. "I meant what I said that night I walked you back from the bar, I get tired of girls telling me what they thought I wanted to hear. Sometimes I just want a girl who different than the average one." With that he spun her around again.

"Well one day you will as will Steve" Béatrice told him as she was pulled back to him. "I like to think that there's someone out there for everyone. It just takes time to find the right one."

He nodded his head. "Yeah I feel that way too, but sometimes waiting is just too much." She silently nodded her head and soon laid her head down on his shoulder. He leaned his cheek against the top of her head and moved it slightly to kiss the top of it.

A new thought suddenly popped into his head. "You said once that you weren't even sure if you wanted to get married or have kids. How can you believe that there's someone out there for everyone if you feel that way?"

She moved her head to look up at him. "I may think that, but that doesn't mean that I can't change my mind if the right person came around. It's not that I don't truly want to get married or have kids, I think it's more of it not being a priority right now. Sometimes I feel that everyone just plans their lives around that. I knew so many girls in Germany who were dying to find husbands as quickly as possible and start a family. Me? I just wanted to live life to the fullest every day with my friends and family" she explained. "I told myself I wouldn't put a timer on marriage or kids and that if it was meant to be, it would happen when it was meant to."

Bucky nodded his head, understanding what she had just told him. It amazed him how different she was than anyone he had ever met. There was a sense of maturity in her that he had rarely seen in anyone. She was independent and was just living her life. It was different, but to him it was wonderful. He leaned closer and pecked another kiss on her cheek, repeating what he had done earlier that day. He heard the music slowly down and pulled her away from him to spin her around one last time. Only this time, instead of pulling her back in, he dipped her in his arm, causing her to smile and laugh.

As the music ended, he pulled her back up. "You're a natural at this sweetheart.

"Care for another dance?"

"Yes" she nodded her head happily.

* * *

They had danced another three times before they realized that they needed to head back to their quarters. As it had become a second nature to him, Bucky walked Béatrice back to her quarters. He couldn't wipe the smile off his face the entire time and he knew he probably looked like an idiot. He couldn't help it though. He had fun dancing with her tonight. It was something he hadn't enjoyed doing in a long time and it was all because of her.

"I had a nice time tonight. Thank you for teaching me to dance" she told him as they approached her quarters.

"You're welcome" he looked over at her, still smiling. "I enjoyed dancing with you. Haven't had that much fun doing that in a while. You're a very good dancer."

"It's because I have a good teacher" she gave him a small smirk. "But don't let that go to your head."

Bucky let out a laugh as they stopped in front of her quarters. He looked at her, admiring how beautiful she looked just standing in the night. He wondered if she realized how stunning she was. "I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked hopeful.

"You always ask that and my answer is always the same" she walked closer to him. "Of course." He gave her a small smile. He leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the forehead, something that he had always done before he left her for the evening. However, something was different this time. Instead of pulling away and leaving, he looked at her deeply into her eyes. His eyes then flicked to her lips and then back up at her. Slowly, he moved closer to her. Closer and closer, his lips made his way to her own.

"Wait" Béatrice suddenly spoke.

Bucky felt a wave of disappointment rush over him as he slowly pulled away. It was official. He was a complete idiot. He had misread all the signs and everything. She didn't see him the same way he saw her. She didn't want to kiss him. She didn't want to move things along further. "I…" he started to speak. "Sorry, I guess I overstepped."

"No" she protested, shaking her head. "No, you didn't I…I..I want to kiss you. God I want to kiss you more than anything….."

"But?" he mumbled.

The brunette took a deep breath and exhaled. "Bucky we're leaving soon" she told him shakily. "If we do anything else, it's going to change things and once we leave, where is that going to leave us?"

His face fell slightly at hearing that. He swallowed the lump that had been forming in his throat. It had finally happened. Something that had been in the back of his head that he had been dreading. They were about to have _that_ conversation. What was he supposed to say?

He kept quiet longer than what he should have, but he needed to weigh his options. He knew what he wanted. He always knew. He didn't want to lose her. "I don't want this to end" he finally was able to manage to get out.

"I don't either" she sighed heavily. "But what choice do we have Bucky? It could be months before you get your orders and I'm not guaranteed to be anywhere near you. With the way the war is going, I could be anywhere in Europe. What if something were to happen to me…."

"Please don't talk like that" he suddenly snapped interrupting her train of thought. She looked up at him. He seemed angry almost. He took both of his hands and cupped her face. "Don't ever talk like that you hear me?" he said his voice raising. "If I lost you…." He stopped and took a deep breath. "If I lost you, I'm not sure I could bare it. I can't lose you Béatrice. In any way. We can figure this out. The war won't go on forever. We could wait until everything was over."

She looked at him sadly shaking her head. "I'm not sure I'm worth the wait."

He threw his head back in disbelief, dropping his hands to his side. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What if you were to me?" he asked her.

"Bucky you can't put your life on hold for me. It's not fair to you. I can't and won't ask you to do that" the brunette shot back.

His face fell. "So what? I'm just supposed to forget you. Forget everything that's happened in the past few weeks. Forget what I'm starting to feel for…." He stopped and shut his eyes, taking a deep breath. What he was on the verge of saying was something he never thought he could say in front of her. He was falling for her. It was true and he had been for weeks, but he could never find the right moment to tell her. He had that moment now, but on the circumstances, it would do more harm than good. He ran his hands through his hair. "I hate this" he muttered. "I wish things weren't like this. I wish they were different."

Béatrice shrugged slightly looking down at the ground. "Maybe things would have been better if we had never had met."

Bucky narrowed his eyes at her. "That's not what I meant doll. I'd never ask for that either." He walked closer to her and took her hands in his own. She looked at him and he realized that tears were forming in her eyes. "I meant that I wish that I had met you in Brooklyn. Maybe I would have seen you at a diner or out in the city. I'd come up and talk to you because you were beautiful, but you'd be immune to my charms because that's just who you are. You'd turn me down within seconds. We'd keep running into each other, but that would because I would find out who you were and where you went. I'd keep trying to ask you out, but you keep turning me down. But then one day, you'd finally say yes and I'd take you dancing. We'd have a great time and I'd take you out the next night, and the night after."

She let out a slight laugh as a few tears streamed down her face. It sounded wonderful to her. Perfect. She wished that things could have been like that. She wished that the circumstances of their meeting would have been different.

He gave her a small smile as he reached up to wipe them away. "Pretty dame like you shouldn't be crying" he breathed. He pulled her close to him again, holding her tightly.

"I'm sorry" she whispered. "I just don't know what to do." She buried her face into his chest.

Bucky rested his chin on top of her head. He didn't know what to do either. What was the right answer for them? He knew she was right. "Maybe we just don't do anything right now" he suggested. "We still have a few days together. It'll give us some time to think about things. Let's just enjoy what time we have left."

He felt as Béatrice pulled away from him and looked up at him. She nodded her head. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead, causing her to close her eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow sweetheart" he whispered against her skin. He pulled away and as he turned to leave, he felt her grab his arm again. He looked at her and his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Can you stay with me tonight?" she asked him. His eyes widened at the question, but he felt his head nod involuntarily. The next thing he knew, Béatrice Faust was taking his hand, leading him back into her quarters for the rest of the night.

* * *

The sound of an alarm at four in the morning from the clock on the bedside table cause Bucky to grown loudly and hit it with a fist. Turning back over on the bed, he let out a sight and opened his eyes. Letting them adjust to the darkness, he suddenly remembered where he was. He wasn't in his bunk in the quarters. The warm body beside him was evidence of that.

Turning over, he blinked at Béatrice's sleeping form beside him. He had to admit, he was taken aback when she had asked him to spend the night with him. But he knew he couldn't waste an opportunity to spend more time with him. He knew going into it that it would not involve his usual routines of spending the night with a girl. That typically included sex and then him leaving early in the morning with the intention of either calling or not calling whoever he fell into bed with, but he didn't care. He didn't want to put her in an uncomfortable position and considering his assumption regarding her lack of experience, he figured she'd just want his company more than anything.

The two of them had spent a few hours talking before sleep over took them. He told her more stories about his life and his friendship with Steve while she told him about her growing fears with her friend Rifka. She also had told him about the conversation she had with McPherson and how it was possible that her next mission could involve these mysterious camps, which had brought up their earlier conversation of where they would go from here once training ended.

There was a hesitation between them. Neither of them knew what the right answer was. There had to be some way for the two of them. There just had to. He wouldn't accept defeat so easily when it came to her.

What he did next was something he knew he shouldn't do, but he quickly put his hesitations to rest. Leaning forward, he placed a gentle kiss to her exposed neck. Then another. He soon moved his way up her neck, still continuing to plant a trail of kisses on it. Her skin felt soft under his lips. With every kiss, he found himself wanting to keep doing it more and more. Part of him wanted nothing else than to kiss her on her lips, but he stopped himself, knowing that he wanted her fully awake for when he did that. When he reached her face, he slid his hand up to her face, resting it on her cheek, continuing to brush kisses on her face, until he felt her stir.

Slowly, Béatrice opened her brown eyes and looked directly in his blue ones. She sighed in content, giving him a small smile. She placed her own hand on the one that rested on her face. "You're leaving?" she asked quietly.

He nodded sadly at her. Honestly, he didn't want to leave her like this, but his training called. He moved his hand and took the hand that laid on top of it in his own. He gently brushed a thumb over her knuckles before he leaned forward to kiss the back of her hand. He then turned it over to kiss the palm of her hand. He took a deep breath and looked back up to see Béatrice just starting at him quietly. He wondered what she was thinking in that moment, but decided not to asked. He placed another kiss on the back of her hand. "I'll see you in a few hours" he whispered against her knuckles.

Bucky finally let go of her hand and got out of the bed. He put back on his boots and his jacket as the brunette stayed in the bed just watching him. He noted how beautiful she looked just laying there. She was perfect and he wondered how he had gotten so lucky to have someone as special as her in his life. He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't even hear her get out of the bed and walk over to him.

Her arms were crossed more than likely due to the temperature in the room as she watched him finish getting himself together. Once he was finished he looked over at her and sighed heavily. He didn't want to leave and she knew it. She walked closer to him and put her arms around him. He pulled her closer to him, hugging her as tightly as she could handle almost as though he had no intention of letting her go. Not that she truly wanted him to. If it was up to her, she want him to never let her go.

He pulled away from her, but just barely so that he could look at her. His hand reached up to her head, running his fingers through her curly dark locks. "I'm going to miss seeing this face every day" he told her.

Béatrice pulled away from him further and looked back up to look at him. "You still have a few more days to see this face, so enjoy it" she breathed smiling brightly. He smiled back at her and placed a quick kiss on her forehead. "Go. Before you get in trouble" she said as he pulled away from her. He nodded at her and placed another kiss on her forehead, letting his lips linger on her skin longer than they had before.

Begrudgingly, Bucky pulled away from her completely, giving her one last look. He walked away from her towards her door, opening it, and went off into the night.

As Béatrice stood in her dark quarters alone, she wondered what the future would hold for James Barnes and herself. Maybe things would work out. Maybe they were doomed. Her life was starting to become something that she never expected at all, but maybe that was what life was supposed to be. Full of the unexpected. Laying back on her bed, she stared up at the ceiling wishing that the warm body that had just left her was still beside her.

 **There you have it! I know a lot of you probably will hate me for this, but there is a method to my madness I promise. And to add to that sadly the next chapter will be the long dreaded last day and goodbyes. BUT FEAR NOT! We'll be getting into CA:TFA and I have lots planned for it. I think you'll all will enjoy it! Let me know your thoughts on this chapter and anything you'd be interested to see happen! Read and review!**

 **Guest Review Replies:**

 **Reader: I am so glad you were satisfied. I think that line was probably one of my favorites to write. Sure, it's incredibly cheesy, but let's face it. Bucky has been sticking up for her left and right since the beginning, so he really is her avenger.**

 **Love: Again, you are too kind my dear. I am so glad you are enjoying this story so much and thank you for recommending it to friends. I know I've said it, but you are always wonderful to hear from. I always appreciate your reviews! You're a keeper if you are a friend who recommends fics to other friends. I wish I had friends like that, but as far as I know, I'm the only one out of my group who frequents the site. Thank you for telling them to read my story! I hope they will enjoy it as much as you do!**

 **Guest: Good friends recommend fanfiction! Keep that friend! I'm pleased they recommended it and that you are enjoying it!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize.**

It was almost four in the morning, but Bucky hadn't slept at all. Looking over at it, he was dreading the moment when the alarm would go off. It was his last full day at camp. Tomorrow he would be graduating from basic training and heading back to Brooklyn. He would be leaving.

He looked down at the sleeping girl on his chest and had his arm around. He would be leaving _her_. He took note of how peaceful she looked while she slept. How adorable and beautiful she looked at the same time. He wasn't sure how she could look so perfect asleep, but she did. Gently, he started to run his fingers through her hair, but lightly to not wake her. He had spent another night in her bed as he had the past few nights. In such a short time, he had grown accustomed to sleeping next to her. He wasn't sure how he would be able to handle being in Brooklyn sleeping by himself now. He wished time would stop and he didn't have to get up. He could have stayed like this forever if he was able.

Still, he couldn't have asked for a better last week. He looked at the clock once more. He had about five minutes before the ringing alerting him to return to his quarters before everyone would be up. He grabbed the clock and turned the alarm off, thinking that he might as well just leave and attempt to get an hour of sleep before the damn trumpet would blow.

As carefully as he could, he lifted his arm away from Béatrice's sleeping form and moved her off of his chest, directly onto the mattress. She didn't stir at all. Getting up off the bed, he gathered his things before he turned to look at her one last time. His lips formed into a small smile and he leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"See you later beautiful" he whispered against her skin. He then made his way to the door, leaving her quarters for another night without a sound.

As he made his way back to his quarters, his mind started racing. What could he do to make their last night special together. He wasn't sure if or when they would see one another again. He wanted to do something that he hadn't before.

"I'm assuming you're sneaking back to your quarters?" he suddenly heard a voice say. He jumped and quickly turned around. Behind him stood, Captain McPherson with a smug look on his face.

"Captain..I…I" Bucky began to stutter.

McPherson rolled his eyes at him. "You honestly don't think I know? She tells me everything, you know. I know about your little….sleepovers" he said as his eyes narrowed at Bucky.

"We just talk and sleep…" Bucky began to explain.

"I know" the Captain smirked. "She tells me everything. So are you two lovebirds dreading your last day together?"

Bucky's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "If she tells you everything, shouldn't you already know the answer to that?"

McPherson nodded. "I do, but I know how she feels. How do you feel Barnes?"

Bucky stared at the Captain silently for a moment before taking a deep breath. "I feel like I'm about to lose one of the best things that's happened to me." McPherson raised an eyebrow and it almost looked as though he was trying to hide a smile that wanted to form on his face.

"Can you promise me something?" Bucky blurted out staring directly at the Captain. "Can you promise me you'll look after her? Make sure she's kept safe and no harm comes to her."

This time McPherson let that smile form. "I always do" he told the soldier, nodding. He took a moment to pause. "So do you two have anything special planned for your last night together?"

"I have absolutely no idea" Bucky sighed running his hands through his hair. He felt himself starting to freak out. "I want to make it special, but I just don't know how."

"Well under normal circumstances, typically a couple would sleep with one another, but considering sex is off the table for obvious reasons…." McPherson's voice trailed off as Bucky made a face of disgust. "Oh come on, like you haven't thought about it" the blonde groaned at him.

"No..I mean…yes….no….okay yes….a lot. Not that it's any of your concern" Bucky mumbled quickly. "Isn't talking about your best friend's personal business overstepping things much?"

"We have a very close and open friendship" McPherson shot him a full toothed grin. "Again, she tells me everything. I'm her closest confidant, well until you came along that is." The Captain paused once more. "Okay, what's your favorite moment you've had together then?"

Bucky kept silent for a moment as he thought. There were many moments that stuck out to him. However, there was one that caused a small smile on his face. "Probably the moment she invited me into her quarters to have tea for the first time after I walked her home. It was the first night she opened up to me. I got her name and she told me about herself. She was so forward and honest with me. No one had ever been like that around me before."

McPherson eyed the young recruit closely, his eyes narrowing. "Well I would say there's your answer then."

"Yes, I suppose so" Bucky looked over at him still smiling, but soon fell. "But I'm going to need your help."

* * *

"Oh come on Béatrice" Alexander ran after her through the camp. "It's been ages since we had a drink together. We can talk strategy. Complain. Whatever you want. Just come back to my quarters with me."

The brunette continued to walk and shot a look at her friend. "You're acting strange right now. Well… stranger."

The blonde's mouth hung open slightly. "Is it strange that I want to spend time with my best friend?"

Béatrice stopped dead in her tracks and looked at him closely. Something was up. Alexander knew how much she had been fretting about her last day with Bucky and then out of the blue, he wanted her to come to his quarters when she announced she had more packing she needed to finish. "What are you hiding?" she asked.

"Me?" the blonde put his hand on his chest, pretending to be hurt by her accusation. "Hiding something? Why I would never…."

"Alexander you've always been a terrible liar" she interjected. "Why can't I go back to my quarters?"

He took a moment to respond causing her to roll her eyes. "I never said you couldn't go back to your quarters, but why would you want to" he quickly told her.

She wasn't buying it. Not at all. She crossed her arms and her lips twitched to the side. She took a deep breath. "Alexander, you know I love you and I'm sorry to do this."

Alexander frowned at her in confusion. Before he could even respond, he felt a kick to the knees, grabbed, and thrown to the ground. He looked up and saw Béatrice smirk at him before quickly running off. He groaned loudly and slowly tried to get up. "Jesus H. Christ" he exclaimed in pain.

* * *

Bucky placed the teapot on Béatrice's table, making the finishing touches on his surprise for her. He looked over at the clock. He suspected she would be there in due time. When he had asked McPherson to help stall her, the two men knew that it would only be a matter of time before she figured something was up. She was very observant and stubborn. Two qualities that Bucky liked so much about her.

As he began to fix some of the place settings, the door to her quarters opened and soon enough the woman he had been anxiously awaiting appeared. Closing the door, she looked over and saw him. Stopping dead in her tracks, look of confusion appeared on her face. "Bucky?" she spoke tilting her head slightly. "What's going on?"

Before he could even begin to explain himself, Alexander came crashing through the front door. He held onto the doorknob, breathing heavily and looking directly at Bucky. "I tried" he exclaimed completely breathless. "But…but she's stubborn and attacked me. I'm going to have words with Peggy when we see her again. She's going to regret teaching you to fight!" He took another few deep breaths. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go find some ice." He then slowly closed the two and the two could hear him mumbling about 'bloody Germans' and still about Peggy.

Bucky wondered for a moment who this Peggy was, but before he could as Béatrice turned her attention back to him. "So are you going to tell me what this is all about?" she asked as she walked closer to him looking at everything on the table.

"I wanted to make our last day together special" he shrugged slightly. "When I left this morning, I ran into McPherson. I told him I wanted to do something, but didn't know what. So he asked what my favorite moment of us together was."

"And all the times I made you tea came to mind?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

Bucky chuckled and walked over to her, taking both of his hands in his. "It was the night I walked you home from the bar and you invited me in here for tea. We talked. I finally got your name out of you" he smiled placing his forehead against her own. "You told me about yourself. Why you were fighting against the Nazi's. I told you about myself. I asked to see you again. It was the night that started it all. It was the night when I realized how special you were and how different you were. I know I've said it before, but you're not like any woman I've ever met."

Hearing her breath hitch, he pulled away and saw a few stray tears running down her face. His face fell as he cupped her face. "Is…is this not okay?"

"No, no" she shook her head, taking his hands that still were placed on his face. "It's perfect. It's the most perfect thing anyone has ever done for me. I just don't want tomorrow to come. I don't want to leave you."

He brushed a few tears away with his thumbs. "I don't either baby doll. Believe me, I've never wanted anything more" he whispered.

She gripped his hands tighter. "These past few weeks have been some of the best of my whole life. For the first time in a while, you helped me forget all the bad that was happening. You gave me a piece of mind for a time. I haven't been happy for a while. I've been losing hope with everything, but you restored it" she told him. "I've never had someone in my life like you. You looked past everything I've done, the fact that I'm a German. No one in the past year ever made me feel normal. Thank you Bucky. For everything."

Bucky's face grew into a smile. "It was a pleasure sweetheart. There's nowhere I would have rather have been these past few weeks. Thanks for taking a chance on a ladies' man from Brooklyn. Hope I didn't disappoint."

"Well you did have that one moment when you found out about what I did" she let out a small laugh.

He let out a loud groan and moved his hands to her waist. "I was an idiot. A complete and utter idiot. I even wrote it down how stupid I was."

"But you were a complete and utter idiot who set it right" she smiled before giving him a kiss on his cheek. His face softened as she pulled away and he stared into her eyes.

"God I want to kiss you right now" he sighed heavily.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I want you to kiss me, but I'm scared if you do, we won't be able to stop and it's only going to make things worse" she said meekly.

He licked his lips and nodded. She was right. If they gave into their desires, chances are they'd end up spending the entire night kissing or in bed together. Either way it would make it so much harder in the morning when they both had to leave. "I know sweetheart." He pulled her into a tight hug and sighed. Stupid timing, he thought to himself. It had to ruin everything.

"Bucky you can't put your life on hold for me" he heard her mutter.

He held her closer at that and he felt his chest hurt. "I know" he said shakily. He would though if she asked. Hell, there was a chance that he'd go against her wishes.

"Promise me Bucky" she spoke again. "Promise you won't forget me, but you'll keep living your life."

He pulled away from her and looked down at her. "I couldn't forget you even if I tried baby doll. I promise I'll keep living my life. I'll do it for you." He wiped away a few more stray tears from her eyes. "Promise me something. No tears tomorrow. Pretty dame like you shouldn't be crying."

"I promise" she nodded her heard. She then looked over at the untouched tea on the table. "We'd better drink it before it gets cold." He gave her a small smile and nodded. He took her hand and led her to the table to sit down.

As Béatrice watched him serve her and herself, her heart sank further and further. She knew today would be hard, but it was turning out to be harder than what she ever imagined. She didn't want to lose Bucky at all. There had to be a way. Just because they couldn't pursue a relationship, didn't mean they couldn't still be friends?

Something then dawned on her that she never thought about before. She kept her exclaim to herself not to cause Bucky to wonder what had happened. She was now the complete and utter idiot for not having thought of it earlier. It made perfect sense. If she wanted to keep Bucky in her life, it was the only logical way. She had been thinking too much with her heart and not her head. She was even surprised that Alexander never mentioned the idea to her either. As she took the tea cup that Bucky handed her, she smiled happily. She was going to keep Bucky Barnes in her life. She had figured it out.

* * *

Alexander and Béatrice watched as Colonel Matthews stood in front of the newly graduated troops. The ceremony had gone by quickly probably due to the fact that it had just started to snow and many wanted to get home before a chance of a storm him. She had seen Bucky in the crowd and her heart beamed. She was incredibly proud of him. Even more so when Alexander had told her that he was graduating at the top of his class and chances were when he got orders, he'd be promoted. He had been working so hard and still made time for her. He deserved it all.

"Gentlemen" Matthews began. "Today is a great day for you and an even greater day for this country. You have made the brave decision and sacrifice to be part of the greatest military in history. I will admit, I have been in uniform for over twenty-years. I'll be honest with you all. At times, the job is hard. So difficult that you'll want to give up. I have had many of those moments myself. However, with perseverance, you will come out on top. The same goes for when you are finally sent over. We're in the middle of a war gentlemen. A war with a great evil. It's going to take great strength to win, but I know from supervising your training that we have that strength. We will win this war. We will beat Adolf Hitler and it will all be because of you. It's been a great honor and privilege being your commanding officer. I wish you all the best with where your orders will lead you. Have strength. Have courage. We can end wars for once and for all!"

Matthews gave the crowd a nod and the recruits began to scream and yell for the fact that they were finally over with training.

Alexander and Béatrice looked at one another. "They really have no clue what they're about to head into, do they?" she asked.

"They don't" the blonde shook his head. "They'll find out very soon though."

* * *

After the graduation ceremony, the other recruits were busy getting their belongings together in their respective quarters. Bucky on the other hand stood looking around the camp for someone specific. Béatrice had told him specifically that she would find him after the ceremony and before she had to leave. He had yet to see her and the longer he stood waiting, the more nervous he became. What if she had to leave before she could have said goodbye.

"Congratulations Private Barnes."

He jumped and turned around at the sound of the voice. His face turned to a wide smile as he saw who was behind him. Béatrice. She had changed into normal clothes. He took a moment to admire how beautiful she looked and how much he would miss seeing her. "Top of my class and everything" he told her proudly.

"And that's surprising?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well a little" he smirked shrugging. "I did have a bit of a distraction though the last few weeks, but it was a beautiful distraction. Wouldn't have it any other way."

She let out a laugh as her face slowly changed to pink. She licked her lips as she looked at him. She was going to miss him. So much.

She watched as Bucky shifted and kicked his feet into the ground. "So this is it huh?" he asked looking up at her.

"It is" she nodded in response.

He walked closer to her closing the gap between them. "Do you know where you're headed?"

She let out a breath. "D.C. for a few days. After that I'm not sure. They probably won't tell me anything until the day I'm supposed to leave. That's how it usually works."

He looked down at the ground and back up at her, debating whether or not he was about to utter the words he had in his head. "I wish you could come to Brooklyn" he heard himself blurt out.

Her face fell and she crossed her arms. "So do I" she gave him a sad smile. "More than anything." She pressed her lips together and took a deep breath. She reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out an envelope, handing it to Bucky. He frowned confused at it. It was a simple envelope with his name on it.

"Write to me" she told him.

Bucky looked up wide-eyed at her. "Really?" he breathed only to get a quick nod from her. "But how am I supposed to get letters to you?"

"I put the address in there" she explained. "No matter where I am, it'll get forwarded to me. It might take a little longer for stuff to get over here when I'm back in Europe and I could be gone for weeks with missions, but…."

"I don't care" he interjected smiling wide. "Just as long as I get something from you"

Her lips formed into a smile that was just about as wide as his own. She then put her arms around his neck and his arms snaked around her waist. "I want to hear about everything. How your day was, what you did, how Steve is, dates you go on…."

Dates. He felt his heart sink just at the mention of the word. Béatrice continued to go on and on about what she wanted him to write her about, but he didn't hear a thing. All he heard was that she wanted to her about his dates. Dates with other women. He didn't want to go on any dates with any girl in Brooklyn. Not anymore. He had promised her that he would keep living his life, but he wanted to break that promise more than anything. He only had eyes for one person and she was standing right in front of him.

She noticed the change in his demeanor. He almost looked as though he had gone somewhere else. "Bucky" she asked nudging him causing his eyes to snap back to her own. "Did you even hear a word I said?" she asked with a playful smirk.

"I heard everything doll" he pulled her closer smiling. "I'll be sure to tell you everything." He wrapped his arms tighter around her pulling her into a hug. He shut his eyes and took a breath, taking in her lavender scent and just the fact that she was in his arms one last time. "Stay safe for me. Please for the love of God, be careful. I can't lose you sweetheart" he whispered into her ear. He then kissed the side of her face and let his lips linger on her skin.

"Same for you" he heard her say shakily. "Be careful. The moment you get your orders, let me know where you're going." She then pulled slightly away from him to look him in the eyes. "Maybe we'll…."

"We'll see each other again?" he gave her a small smile. "I'm counting on it." He then noticed that her eyes were becoming glassy. She was trying not to cry. He pulled further away from her and cupped her face between his two hands. "No tears beautiful."

"No tears" she breathed trying to blink away the tears as best as she could.

"Listen to me sweetheart" Bucky told her gently. "I promise you we will see each other again. No matter where you are, I will always find you. No matter what, I'll find you."

With that Béatrice leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek that was dangerously close to his lips. Bucky shut his eyes, wishing that she would only move her lips a few inches so he could give her the goodbye he wanted to. Her lips stayed on his skin for what felt like an eternity, but soon she pulled away. "I'm counting on it" she breathed as she did so.

The pair heard a car suddenly beep and turned to see Alexander standing in front of a car, clearly waiting for her. The moment they both were dreading had come.

"Goodbye Béatrice Faust" Bucky told her giving her one last hug. He moved his head, so he could reach her forehead and give her one last kiss. He then rested his own forehead against her own.

"Goodbye James Barnes. For now" she smirked at him before pulling away from his grasp. She then turned and began to walk toward Alexander. As she did so, a sinking feeling erupted in her chest. She wasn't completely sure, but she could feel her heartbreaking.

If only she knew that in that exact same moment, Bucky Barnes heart had the same pain in his own chest. The farther she walked away from him, the more it hurt.

* * *

Alexander watched as his best friend walked back towards him, the car, and away from the soldier. Barnes looked completely flattened as she was walking away and Béatrice nearly had the same expression on her face. In a way it was heartbreaking. He had started rooted for the two of them, keeping the thoughts to himself in order to spare the lectures of "I told you so" from Béatrice. He understood where she was coming from. She didn't want the distractions. She had to focus on her mission. That was her priority right now. She cared about Barnes, but right now timing was not on their side.

"You alright?" he asked as she finally reached himself and the car. He opened the car door for her.

Béatrice stopped and turned around one last time to look at Bucky. From a distance, she could tell that he was staring at her. He gave a small smile and motioned for her to go. "Yes. Let's go before I'm not" she said as she turned her attention back to Alexander. She then got into the car and slid to the end.

The blonde turned one last time and looked around the camp. He was happy to be getting out of the hell hole. His eyes flicked to where Barnes was still standing. He nodded his head at the young soldier before getting into the car himself. In a way, he knew that Barnes would understand what he was saying. An acknowledgement of the promise he had made to him earlier that day to protect Béatrice at no matter the cost. The driver in the front started the car and the two were off back to D.C.

As the car drove farther and farther away from the camp, the Captain took a deep breath. He and his friend sat in complete silence. It was unlike them, but he knew in that moment she needed a few moments to collect herself. He owed her that.

"I got a message from Phillips" Alexander spoke looking over at her after a few more moments of silence. She still appeared to be looking out the window, unbeknownst to him, still trying to hold back the tears that wanted desperately to be freed from her eyes.

"He and Peggy will meet us in D.C. day after tomorrow for a meeting. There's also another letter from your father. Phillips figured since we were headed to D.C. he'd hold it till you got there. Heard from Peggy too, things aren't good over there according to her. Who knows what we'll be going back to."

She slowly turned her head to look at him, a stray tear finally falling down her face. "I have a favor to ask" The blonde frowned, but nodded for her to continue. "If anything happens to me, make sure you get a letter to him. Make sure he knows that I was falling in love with him."

To say that he was surprised was a bit of an understatement. Alexander felt his eyes grow wide as his best friend's confession. He had only teased her about falling in love with Barnes, but here she had just spoken that she actually was. He was shocked. He never thought in a million years that he would hear a confession like this before. Béatrice was someone who never even appeared to have an interest in falling in love, having a family, or the white picket fence life. She wasn't like Evelyn and himself. But then again, people could change. Love changed people. His relationship with Evelyn was proof of that. He slowly nodded his head at her. "On one condition" he finally spoke. "You do the same with Evelyn. Make sure she knows how much I loved her."

Béatrice gave him a small smile and place her hand on top of his own, gently squeezing it. "Deal" she told him.

Alexander pursed his lips and took a deep breath, nodding his head once more. "Good. Now that, that's settled, time to get back to work."

* * *

Bucky's mind wandered as he sat on a bus back to Brooklyn. It was hard to believe that he was done with basic training. Now all he had to do was wait for his orders and only then would he be able to serve his country. He was proud of how far he had come.

He looked forward to getting back to Brooklyn. Seeing Steve again and telling him of his time during training. The two of them would probably go out with or without dates. He hadn't quite decided if he would try and find some girls as soon as he got back. With that thought, his mind immediately went to a certain German girl. He was already feeling guilty about finding a date when he got back.

" _Bucky you can't put your life on hold for me."_

Those words kept repeating over and over in his head. Deep down he knew Béatrice was right, but that didn't mean he still wouldn't lose sleep over any date he went on. It didn't feel right to him, but what else was he supposed to do? Hell, he wasn't even sure if he was going to tell Steve about her. If he did, he'd have to tell him everything and he couldn't betray her trust like that. It didn't matter if he trusted Steve more than anyone, he just didn't want to take the chance.

Taking a deep breath, he looked over at the unopened letter that was sitting on his bag. He had yet to open it and in a way he was hesitant in doing so. The moment he opened that letter he knew everything would come rushing back.

Still, he had moments of weakness like everyone. He was human. Reaching over he grabbed it and opened the envelope. Pulling the letter out, there was a small piece of paper folded up with a white rabbit drawn on it. Unfolding it, there was an address in Paris. Béatrice's address. It was probably the one of her "apartment" that she was staying in. He sat down the small piece of paper and pulled out the larger one. The one he knew that the letter would be on. Opening, his eyes began to scan the page.

 _Dear Bucky,_

 _By the time you're reading this, we'll probably both have left camp. I feel that time moved too quickly these past few weeks. Words really can't describe how much I enjoyed your company and spending time with you. I'm glad you became curious about me and pursued me. You're something special James Barnes. Never forget that._

 _I'll be heading to D.C. for a few days to be briefed on missions I suspect. They could be sending me anywhere at this point. Anywhere except the one place I truly want to go. I sometimes wonder if I'll ever return to Germany for my family. They're living their life in fear and that is no way to live. I pray that one day they'll be able to experience a better life as I have begun to._

 _Alexander and I will be staying with Evenlyn while we're there as well. I must admit I'm a little nervous to meet her. Alexander has told me plenty about her and she apparently knows a lot about me, but I guess I'll always feel nervous because of who I am. However, since I met you, I'm reminded that there are people in this world that can look past who I am. I wish there were more people in this world like you. Thank you for seeing more than my German heritage. It's means the world to me._

 _I'd be lying if I said I was happy to be going to D.C. I wish it was New York. That way we would have had more time together. You did say you would show me around, take me to dinner, and dancing if I recall correctly. I wish we were spending the next few days doing that. I'm going to hold you to that promise. You owe me a date._

 _It will be strange not to see you every day. It will take some getting used to. I'll think about you often. I'm probably already thinking of you right now as you read this. Hoping that you'll make it safely back to Brooklyn. My life is going to be so different now. However, this is something that I'm going to keep telling myself and I hope it can bring you some comfort as well. If it is meant to be, we'll see each other again. I have faith in that. You haven't seen the last of me Bucky Barnes. I'm sure of that._

 _I miss you already. Write to me soon._

 _Béatrice_

A large smile formed on Bucky's lips. He re-read the letter over and over again. It was the perfect way to start their correspondence. His eyes flicked back towards the section about how he owed her a date. He damn sure did. One day he'd be taking her on that date if it was the last thing he did. He'd give her the best first date anyone ever could.

Leaning back in his seat, he looked outside the window. His thoughts of Béatrice Faust would not end anytime soon. He was in too deep, but there was no place else he wanted to be. He meant what he told her earlier. No matter what, he'd find her again. He was certain of that.

He reached over to his bag and pulled out a pencil and a piece of paper. They'd probably be stopping soon somewhere where he could by a stamp and an envelope. It was time for him to respond to her.

 **Another one for you all! Next chapter I'm really really excited to write. We get to meet Evelyn, Bucky is reunited with Steve, and Béatrice and Alexander get a new mission in a place that may seem familiar! Any ideas! It's going to be a good one I think! Thanks for all the reviews, keep them coming as always and let me know what you think!**

 **Guest Review Replies:**

 **Love: Oh yeah they definitely have an adorable relationship and it may just continue that way! I hope your trip went well, I know all about service not working and interrupting my FF reading! Thanks always for your kind words and such my dear! I hope you enjoyed this one as well!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize.**

 _Washington D.C._

Harold, the longtime butler of the Miller residence walked into the dining room. He stopped and saw a newspaper held by two hands in front of an individual. He cleared his throat. "Miss Miller, I apologize for intruding on your breakfast and crossword puzzle time. I know how you prefer to quiet, but you have a visitor."

The newspaper was flipped down to reveal a redheaded woman with bright blue eyes, who was frowning in confusion. Evelyn Miller looked at her butler almost as though he was speaking a different language. She looked over at the clock. It was still early in the morning and her father had already left for his congressional duties earlier.

"A visitor?" she suddenly spoke. "Who?"

"A Mr. Alexander McPherson, I believe his name was" the older man gave her a small smile. "He's in the drawing room."

Evelyn's eyes went wide and her lip curled out in anger. She slammed the newspaper down on the dining table. She threw herself out of her chair and stormed past the butler, causing him to hold back a smirk as the woman went past him.

Her heels clicked down the hallway as she made her way to the drawing room. When she finally arrived, she pushed the doors open with both of her hands to reveal Alexander standing in front of the fireplace. He turned when he heard the doors open and smiled happily.

Evelyn on the other hand cross her arms and glared at him. "Alexander McPherson. You didn't call. You didn't write" she began to walk toward him. "It's very improper to show up without notice and rude!"

"It was a spur of the moment thing. You know how these things are sweetheart" the blonde shrugged slightly.

"A SPUR OF THE MOMENT THING?" the redhead snapped back angrily. "I am going to be your wife damn it! That means you should call me if you're going to be back in town!" At that point, she was right in front of Alexander, continuing to glare at him angrily.

The next thing she knew, he grabbed her and pulled her close before crashing his lips against her own. She then wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back. After a few moments, he pulled away leaving them

"Hello my love" he pressed his forehead against her own.

"I'm still mad at you" she pouted, glaring once more. She pushed his arms off of her, backing away from him as she crossed her arms.

"I know" he nodded. He then held up a single red rose for her and held it out to her, tapping it on her shirt.

She put her hands on her hips and shrugged, sighing. "It's going to take more than a single rose to make me less angry with you Alexander McPherson."

"Now sweetheart, I know I didn't call, but I did bring you a surprise to make up for it" Alexander smiled widely at her. "I think you're going to be very happy."

That got Evelyn's attention. She turned to him and blinked, raising her eyebrows. She fiddled with her fingers for a moment. "Well what is it?" she peered at him.

The blonde motioned to something that was behind him. Quickly, Evelyn snapped her head around. Behind her stood a young woman with messy curly hair staring at her. It took a moment to register for the young woman who was behind her, but soon her lips formed into a smile that surely made her look like an idiot.

"Evelyn, I'd like you to meet Béatrice Faust" Alexander snapped her out of her thoughts. "Béatrice. This is my Evelyn."

"Hello" Béatrice greeted her smiling.

Evelyn couldn't believe it. After what was months of begging Alexander to bring his partner in crime as she called her to visit, he had finally done it. Evelyn brought her hands up to her mouth covering it and squealed very loudly. In a flash, she was running over to the brunette and nearly tackled her with a hug. Béatrice's eyes flew open and looked to Alexander, who just smiled and shrugged.

"Oh my goodness gracious" Evelyn held her tightly and then pulled away. "I am so happy you're here! I've heard so much about you! Oh my god you are just an amazing woman. You have no idea how much of an inspiration you are to me. Alexander has told me everything. Obviously he wasn't supposed to but don't worry I haven't told a soul. I have much more incriminating information on half of Washington." Béatrice just continued to stare at her with wide eyes as she continued to ramble on and on.

"….I just can't believe you're finally here. I'm so happy."

"Evelyn…." Alexander called out.

"….I can't wait to hear about everything from you first hand. Alexander just gives me a summary…."

"Evelyn!" Alexander yelled louder, causing her to stop and look at him in confusion. "Don't overwhelm her darling. She's going to think we're both insane."

"I could never think that Alexander" Béatrice shot him a look. "It doesn't' matter to me. I apologize if I seem upset, I'm just not used to this type of reaction from people."

Evelyn's eyes narrowed at her own closely. "Let me guess. You've been given shit because you're a German. Give me their names and I'll make sure my father hears about it. Men, think they know everything don't they. How awful and just plain rude. I bet they do that just to make them feel better about the fact that they have small penises. "

"Evelyn" Alexander's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Béatrice bit her lip to try and stop a laugh from being let out. Evelyn was something else, but she liked her a lot. She was better than what she had expected.

"Oh don't be such a prude Alexander" the redhead groaned at him.

"Miss Miller" Harold suddenly appeared in the drawing room, stopping the conversation. "A Miss Louise Victor is on the phone asking for you."

Evelyn looked at the butler in disgust and rolled her eyes, groaning loudly. "Tell her I'm out and you're not sure when I'll be back. That I'll call her if I have the time." Harold nodded his head and returned to the adjoin room before looking back and her fiancé and the brunette.

"I hate Louise Victor. She's such a snob. I hate snobs. Tiny, tiny souls" she exclaimed rolling her eyes again.

Alexander raised an eyebrow at her. "Evie…." he said disapprovingly.

"No you don't get to Evie me Alexander" she snapped at him in response, pointing at finger at him. "She is rude and is looking for a way to get in with the right people. They only reason she talks to me is because of my father. All she cares about his money. She told me that I needed to have a backup to you because you didn't have enough money and chances are I'd cheat on you or you would die."

"She sounds like a horrid woman" Béatrice spoke up suddenly.

Both Alexander and Evelyn looked at her with raised eyebrows. After a moment, Evelyn's mouth turned into a wide grin and looked back at her fiancé. "See, she understands. Thank you." She walked over to her and linked arms with her.

"I'll show you to your room" she said before looking back at Alexander. "Alexander. Please bring the bags inside darling."

With that, the blonde watched as she sauntered off with Béatrice. Shaking his head, his lips formed into a small smile. Evelyn was happy to see him, but he wasn't sure if his fiancé was happy to have him back or the fact that he had finally brought Béatrice to meet her. Evelyn already seemed to love her and that in itself warmed his heart greatly.

* * *

"I know I've said this so many times, but I'm so glad Alexander finally brought you here" Evelyn said happily as she led Béatrice down a hallway. "I think we're going to be great friends."

Béatrice smiled and nodded at her. "I do hope so. I've heard so many lovely things about you."

"And I you" Evelyn gave her another smile. "Now I think I'm going to put you in my favorite guest room. I only let very special people stay in it."

"You don't have to do that" Béatrice began to protest.

"Nonsense" Evelyn scoffed her off. "You're family. I want you comfortable for as long as you'll be here."

The pair stopped at a door. Evelyn reached out for the door knob and opened the door. It revealed a rather large guest room. Béatrice felt her breath hitch at the sight of it.

It was a rather large room with a bed in the corner with a lace duvet. The walls were painted a light yellow with a floral print around its edges. There were trinkets here and there spread out around the room. What really made it stunning was the door that led out to a balcony that overlooked a lake that was behind the house.

"This is beautiful" Béatrice finally managed to get out. "I've never seen a room like it."

Evelyn's shoulders lifted slightly and she smiled. "I call it our European room because I saw a picture of a room somewhere in Europe. I can't remember where it was, but this was apparently how Europeans design their bedrooms and well…I was bored one summer."

Béatrice slowly began to walk around the room. In a way the guest room did remind her of how rooms would be decorated in Germany. It was almost over the top, but to the point where it wasn't. It felt homey to her. It was a feeling she hadn't had in a long time. "It does remind me of Germany in a way."

"Good" the redhead clapped her hands. She then walked over to the bed and jumped on it laying on her side. Her head held up by her hand and elbow on the lace. "So Alexander tells me you met a soldier while you were in Wisconsin" the redhead shot her a smirk. Evelyn got up from laying down into a sitting position on the bed. "Tell me everything. I want all the details" she waved her hands around.

Béatrice turned back to her, but kept quiet. She should have known that Alexander would tell her everything. Not that she minded. Evelyn patted the spot beside her and motioned for her to come and sit down. "I don't bite I promise. Like I said, we're going to be good friends. Friends talks to one another about meeting men."

The German let out a slight chuckle and walked over to sit on the bed. She took a deep breath and looked at her. "His name is James Barnes."

"Oh James" Evelyn squealed. "Just the name sounds positively handsome."

"He is" Béatrice nodded her head in agreement. She paused for a moment as she began to think back to Bucky. His hair. His eyes. That annoyingly wonderful smirk he always gave her. She missed everything. "He goes by Bucky" she continued. "And he's from Brooklyn."

Evelyn's eyes went wide and she clapped her hands. "A New York man?" she exclaimed. "What a treat. Now is he one of those rugged New York men or more refined?"

Béatrice bit her lip and narrowed her eyes. "I would say a bit of both. He can be so cocky and annoying one minute, but the next he's sweeping you off your feet and making you feel like you're the only girl in the world. When I first met him, he wouldn't leave me alone."

"Really?" the red head laughed.

"Really" the German nodded. "It was like everywhere I turned there he was." Her face fell slightly and she licked her lips. "I've noticed that when many Americans meet me, they're hesitant because I'm a German. I get called many names and there were soldiers who were confused as to why I was there. Bucky wasn't like them. He looked past it all. He was kind. Sweet. Infuriating. Persistent. But he wouldn't give up. He wanted to know me. The real me that is."

"Alexander said he knows what you do and that he didn't take it well at first" Evelyn suddenly spoke.

The brunette shook her head. "It was a very large misunderstanding. It was a lot to take in and at that point we were growing closer. He was worried about something happening to me." A smile grew upon her face. "He wrote me a letter as an apology and read it out loud to me. He's not like anyone I have ever met."

Evelyn's wide smile grew even wider. "It sounds like you're completely smitten with one another. So are you two together? What happens now?"

Béatrice bit her lip and stayed silent. She took a deep breath. "We'll be writing to one another…."

The redhead's eyebrows furrowed. "I sense a but coming."

"The timing is wrong. I need to focus on helping my family and my country. He'll get orders any day now and he'll need to fight for his. He can't put his life on hold for me" Béatrice explained.

Evelyn frowned in what appeared to be complete confusion. "I don't understand though. When you've been talking about him, you're glowing. You have that look in your eye."

"Look? What look?" the German frowned slightly.

"The look that you've met the one. You seem as though you're in love with him. I've been told I have it when I talk about Alexander" she explained in response.

Béatrice shrugged at her. In a way, she knew her new friend was right. "I think I was falling in love with him. However, I can't just stop everything for love. If it's meant to be we'll find each other again."

Evelyn reached and put her hand on her own. "Part of me thinks that is a wonderful way to look at it." She then pursed her lips together. "But there's a bigger part of me that thinks that's a sad way to look at love. If you found someone you love, you should do everything you can to keep them. Screw fake and timing. It's all a bunch of bullshit if you ask me. You got to make your own fate in this world."

The brunette gave her a small smile. "I wish I could look at the world the way you do, but it's just not in my nature."

Evelyn raised her eyes and smirked at her. "People can always change." The next thing that happened, she began to cough hysterically. Béatrice frowned quickly and watched as she pulled out a handkerchief, coughing into it multiple times.

"Are you alright?" Béatrice looked at her in concern.

Evelyn waved her off and nodded. She pulled the cloth away from her and folded it up. "I'm fine" she shook her head. "I've had this cold for weeks. I keep coughing nonstop. I think it's the weather or something not agreeing with me. Nothing you need to worry yourself about." She gave her a bright smile. "How about some tea?"

Béatrice nodded her head as the two of them got up. Evelyn's words kept playing over and over in her head. If she did care about Bucky, maybe she should fight for him. But then again, maybe that's why she told him to write to her. It was her only way to be able to keep him. She just hoped that he would continue to write. What if he got tired of her? Or found some other girl. She did tell him to move on with his life. He said he would wait, but she pushed him away.

A sinking feeling grew in her stomach, almost as though her gut was telling her that she had made a terrible mistake.

* * *

Steve Rogers stood at the bus station. It had been a long eight weeks, but it was finally over. Today, Bucky was finally coming home from basic training. To say he was looking forward to it was a bit of an understatement. He was excited that his best friend was coming home. Brooklyn hadn't been the same without him. Sure, he'd been buying his time working, but Bucky was his only real friend. He didn't have anyone else.

He was also looking forward to hearing about his friend's time training. He had already been rejected for service again due to his small height, weight, and health problems. He wouldn't let it stop him though. He was determined to help his country.

A bus suddenly pulled up and dozens of people began to come off of it. After a few moments, he saw Bucky.

His friend walked up to him with a blank look on his face, eyes narrowing at him curiously. "What are you doing here punk?" he finally spoke.

"Just waiting for my jerk of a best friend who left without me to go to basic training to come back" Steve immediately replied back.

Bucky's mouth formed into a small smile and the two men embraced one another. "Good to see you kid" he told his friend pulling away.

"Welcome back. How was it?" Steve replied.

Bucky let out a small laugh. Steve was ever so eager to hear about his time during training. "Come on" he motioned him. "Let's go get something to eat and I'll tell you all about."

* * *

She was thankful that there were Americans who actually did prefer tea to coffee Béatrice realized that as she, Alexander, and Evelyn said in the drawing room having tea together. It felt normal to her. Almost as she was home where there was no war and she was simply spending time with friends.

"So he gets down on one knee" Evelyn explained telling her the story of how Alexander proposed. "And he completely drops the whole box and the ring goes flying out He's scrambling all over the place trying to find the damn there and I'm just standing there wondering if I'm ever going to actually be proposed to. It took him another five minutes to get the ring on my finger." Béatrice let out a laugh as Alexander sighed heavily, rolling his eyes at the story.

"I think you're overplaying things sweetheart" he told her taking a sip of his tea.

"We'll just ask my father when he gets home. He was there after all" the redhead gave him a playful grin.

Just then Harold walked in the room. Evelyn sat down her teacup and looked at him.

"A Colonel Phillips is on the phone for Captain McPherson" the butler announced to the group.

Alexander nodded and quickly got up. "Ladies excuse me for a moment." The two women nodded and Béatrice reached out to grab her teacup to drink once more. Evelyn gave her a small smile and sighed in content.

"This is so nice" she suddenly spoke up. "It almost feel….well normal. Like there's nothing going on in the world."

The brunette sat the cup back down and nodded her head. "I was thinking the same thing" she replied. "I can't imagine what it must be for you. Going day to day wondering if you'll hear from Alexander or not."

"I suspect it's the same feeling you have about your family" Evelyn told her. "I will admit. The waiting nearly kills me. When he proposed, there was a part of me that wondered if it was even worth saying yes to him. I was and still am worried something will happen to him."

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you two waiting to get married?"

Evelyn sat quietly for a moment contemplating her answer. She took a deep breath and sighed. "I….It's going to be hard to lose him regardless, but I think it would be so much worse for me if I lost a husband than a fiancé. Alexander and I have so many wonderful memories together. If we got married chances are we'd barely be able to enjoy being husband or wife before he was shipped off to God knows where. I don't think I could live without having as many memories as we did before." She suddenly stopped and began to cough once more.

Béatrice frowned slightly as she watched her grab a napkin and cough into it for a few moments. She might have been wrong, but it sounded worse than what it did earlier. She wondered if everything was truly alright with Evelyn. She seemed perfectly healthy, but that cough did not.

The redhead sniffed and wiped her mouth, giving the brunette another smile. "Sorry. I guess I should probably go see the doctor again soon. I was planning to, but then you all showed up. Anyway, so that's why we won't get married till this whole thing is over. Does that make sense."

"It does" Béatrice told her. "He really loves you. There's not a day that goes by where he doesn't think about you or talk about you. You're really his whole world. I remember when we first met, he was so worried that he would ruin your relationship or some other woman would come along and try to."

Evelyn let out a laugh and just shook her head. "That sounds like Alexander. Putting his whole heart and soul into something and he's a worrier. Can I be honest with you about something?"

"Absolutely" the German said as she grabbed a biscuit from a nearby plate.

Evelyn licked her lips and her eyes narrowed. "The first time he got leave after we started going steady. He came back here and told me about you. I think you all had just returned from a mission from Poland…."

"Yes, Warsaw" Béatrice interjected.

The redhead snapped her fingers and nodded. "That was it. Well that's when he told me that he had a woman partner and what you were doing. I was a little uneasy about it for a while. Jealous even. You got to spend all this time with him and meanwhile I was here, trying to keep busy and not go crazy. However, he told me something. He said, 'Evelyn, I've been in platoons and divisions with hundreds of men on battlefields and for training purposes. But I never felt that I was truly safe with any of them. I always wondered if they would have my back. With Béatrice, I've never thought about that. I know no matter where we go, no matter what happens, she'd do everything she can to make sure I'd come home safe." From then, I put all those pesky thoughts away. You protect my Alexander and I couldn't ask for me. He's so fond of you and I can't imagine what he would do if something happened to you. I guess what I'm trying to say is, thank you. For everything you've done for him."

Béatrice was taken aback by her comments. She had never heard Alexander mention this to her at all. Of course, she knew that they would determined to protect one another, she didn't know he felt that way. She licked her lips and gave Evelyn a smile. "You don't need to thank me. He's family. You should always look out for your family."

"So what are we discussing now?" Alexander suddenly appeared walking back to his seat and sitting down.

"Just girl talk" Evelyn shot him a smirk. "Nothing you need to concern himself with."

"Please don't tell me you told her about what happened that night at the Lincoln Memorial" the blonde sighed heavily.

The redhead frowned and pursed her lips. "Actually, I hadn't, but now that you mention it…."

"Evelyn stop right there" he protested quickly.

Béatrice's eyes shot between both Evelyn and Alexander. "What happened at the Lincoln Memorial?" she asked, intrigued.

"Nothing your innocent ears need to hear" Alexander told her looking at her and then looking at Evelyn. "Honestly Evelyn you're going to embarrass her. Violate her even"

Evelyn made a face of disgust and rolled her eyes. "Alexander and I had sex with one another for the first time in the Lincoln Memorial."

"Evelyn…" he groaned loudly, hitting his head on the table.

"And we were almost caught, so Alexander made a run for it, barely wearing anything while trying to run away" the redhead began to laugh. Béatrice let out a snicker and received a glare from Alexander in the process. "Be nice" Evelyn told him harshly.

"I sometimes wish you weren't so honest with everyone" he put his palm under his chin.

Evelyn shook a finger at him. "I'm only honest with close friends. Besides what's life without being honest. I'd be dreadfully boring if I wasn't. Béatrice is a woman too. Sex is not something to be ashamed of. It's a wonderful thing between two people. I'm sure she's aware of that since she and James…."

Béatrice nearly choked on the tea she was, drinking and looked at her in shock."Actually we didn't" she interjected. A red blush began to cover her cheeks and she looked down at her teacup. "We never even kissed."

Evelyn's face fell in disappointment almost and then looked over at Alexander. "Oh" she breathed. For the first time in a while, he could see that his fiancé was clearly embarrassed.

"You almost did actually. Twice" Alexander countered causing Evelyn to turn to Béatrice, clearly wanting details. "But I interrupted the first time and then you stopped the second time. Do you count the times where you told each other you wanted to kiss one another?"

"Well Alexander, I still see you have impeccable timing then" the redhead brought the teacup to her lips.

"It doesn't matter" Béatrice shook her head. She looked up and turned her attention to Alexander. "What did Phillips say?" she asked trying to change the subject.

"We're to meet Peggy and Phillips tonight. He'll bring your father's letter. From there, they'll figure out where to send us next" he said simply.

Evelyn's lip popped out and she began to pout. "But you only just arrived" she said sadly. "And I've barely got to have any time with Béatrice. It's not fair."

Alexander reached out and patted his fiancé hand gently. "I know sweetheart. But this war isn't going to win itself. Besides before you know it, we'll be back stateside. There'll be no war and then we can finally get married."

* * *

"So what was it like during training?" Steve asked sitting across his friend at a diner.

"The stuff you'd really expect. Lots of running, teaching us how to fight, shoot. Eight weeks of very little sleep" Bucky told him in response. "We did get one night off to go to a bar, so that was nice."

Steve rolled his eyes and shook his head. Typical Buck. Even after eight weeks, his priorities would never chance. "Of course that would be your highlight. So who was she?"

Bucky shot him a playful glare and pouted at his words. "Who said anything about a girl? I can go to a bar and not have to talk to a girl."

Steve raised an eyebrow at him. "That's crap and you know it. Come on. Give me details. I know you're dying to tell me."

He sat quietly for a moment. Part of him wanted to tell his best friend about Béatrice. How she was truly the most amazing woman he had ever met. How she had overcome so much and was saving lives constantly. How her eyes were always bright and how much he loved her smile. How it was possible that he felt something for her that he never had before. However, for her own safety, he knew he had to keep silent.

It was a shame though. In a way, she and Steve shared some of the same qualities. Never running away from a fight. Bucky knew his best friend would like her if they ever got the chance to meet. Yeah, they would get along just fine.

His heart began to sink just thinking about her. He wondered if she had gotten his letter yet and had responded. If she even would. Maybe she didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. Just focus on her missions and getting her family out. It was possible that she wasn't even in the country anymore.

He just wished he knew.

"Buck?" he heard Steve say causing him to look up from his daze. "You still with me?"

"Yeah" he nodded quickly and smiled. "Sorry, guess the exhaustion is starting to get to me. But no, there weren't any girls there."

"So you're telling me that you've gone eight weeks without anything?" Steve raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh shut up" Bucky glared at him. "You don't have to rub it in."

His friend let out a laugh. "Well if you're that deprived, there's a dame who's barely been able to take her eyes off of you since we walked in."

Bucky sighed and turned around to see who Steve was referring to. At the counter sat a girl with long brown hair. The girl gave him a playful smile before turning her attention back to her friends. He had to admit she was pretty, but there was one problem. She wasn't Béatrice. He turned back around in the booth to face Steve.

Steve frowned in confusion. Why wasn't his friend getting up to go talk and flirt with her. Get or name or a date? This wasn't like Bucky at all. He would never pass up the chance for a date. "You're not going to go talk to her?" he asked. Bucky only shook his head. "Okay that doesn't sound like you at all" his friend continued. "Did you just suddenly become uninterested in dates after being away so long?"

"Just not really feeling it tonight. Sure, she's cute and all, but it's been a long few weeks. I need to recharge" Bucky shrugged at him.

"Who are you and what have you done with Bucky Barnes?" Steve stared at him in shock.

Bucky snickered at his friend. "What? You haven't seen me in weeks. Maybe I just want to hang out with you tonight. I've barely been back for two hours; I don't need to find a girl immediately."

"Buck you're scaring me. You're really starting to scare me" his friend leaned forward.

He rolled his eyes and sighed, sitting back in his seat. Right then, he just wanted to burst and tell Steve about her. How she was the reason he wasn't interested in the brunette at the counter. He had someone else, but she just wasn't able to be there.

" _Bucky you can't put your life on hold for me."_

Those stupid, awful words rang through his head over and over again. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't tell Steve about Béatrice and he'd have to act normal. He'd have to go on dates with girls. There was no way getting around it without telling him everything and it wasn't an option. He wanted to put his life on hold more than anything for this girl. He just wanted to scream it.

He took a deep breath and shot a look to Steve, his eyes narrow. Rolling his eyes, he got up from the booth and began to walk towards the brunette at the counter.

He'd try to act normal. For now, at least. But he wasn't sure how long he could keep up the act.

* * *

Peggy Carter placed the stack of files on the desk and sighed heavily. Looking at her watch, she wondered when Béatrice and Alexander would be arriving. Her eyes flicked to the two envelopes addressed to the German that were in the corner of the desk. She knew the contents of one letter. It had come from Germany and she knew it was more information from her father. The second was what stroked her curiosity. It was a letter from Brooklyn.

As far as she was aware, Béatrice had no friends in the states other than those who worked for the S.S.R. Picking up the letter, she eyed it closely. She was very interested into the contents of this letter. More so than the one from her father. She put it back down on the desk and looked up. A smile formed on her face. Down the hallway walked both Béatrice and Alexander.

"Well look who's finally back" she greeted happily. She walked around the desk and met the pair. She outstretched her arms to Béatrice and hugged her tightly. "Hello darling" she said pulling away and turned her attention to the blonde. "Alexander" she nodded.

"Peggy" he nodded at her.

Béatrice beamed at seeing her friend for the first time in what felt forever. "It's good to see you."

"You as well. Come along, Phillips is brooding in his office" she motioned them to follow her and grabbed the letters from the corner of the desk as she passed. She stopped and handed them both to Béatrice. "There's your father's letter, but there's a letter from an address from Brooklyn, which I found odd. Since when do you know anyone in Brooklyn?"

Both Béatrice and Alexander's eyes went wide as she outstretched her hand and took the letters. Her first letter from Bucky arrived. He had written to her after all. She looked down at it, her hands shaking slightly. What was she to tell Peggy? The truth? That she had an American admirer who knew everything? Her work was classified. Who knows what would happen if it was learned that someone out of the S.S.R. knew what she did. She looked up and prepared to speak.

"Oh that's actually for me" Alexander snatched the letter from her hand. Peggy frowned at him and then looked to the second brunette for confirmation.

"It's true" Béatrice nodded her head quickly.

Unconvinced, Peggy crossed her arms and her eyes narrowed. "Why would someone be sending you a letter using Béatrice's name?"

Alexander swallowed a lump in his throat. "I…I…well…you…you…see…" he stammered.

"It's about a wedding present for Evelyn" Béatrice suddenly spoke looking between the two.

Peggy shot a look at the blonde and raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" He quickly nodded in response.

"Alexander's looking for to possibly design a bracelet for her as a wedding gift" Beatrice continued praying that her excuse would be good enough for Peggy. It was hard to get anything past her. She was too smart. "Someone suggested a jeweler up in New York to do it, so he wrote to them and used me as an address in the event he received the letter when visiting her. It's supposed to be a surprise."

Peggy uncrossed her arms and looked at Alexander with a blank face. "That's quite a lovely gesture Alexander. I'm sure Evelyn will love that." With that she turned a heel and waved her hand for them to follow her.

Alexander handed the letter back to Béatrice. "You and your boyfriend owe me big time" he began as he began to walk with her by his side.

"He's not my boyfriend" she mumbled snatching the letter back from him and putting it into her pocket.

"Yet" he made a face and rolled his eyes in response.

* * *

The letter from Bucky was long forgotten as Béatrice sat in a chair in Colonel Phillips's office reading the new letter from her father. Without even being in the room for seconds, she was instructed to open it and decode the weather report.

 _Béatrice,_

 _This will be a short letter. We've had unexpected visitors. Your brother has arrived with Hitler. It was an enjoyable dinner and we wish you were here. He asked about you and your schooling. Christoph has talked about visiting to you, but I told him to make sure that he wrote to you first as you were busy with your studies. I know you're missing Germany, so I hope that this weather report can bring you some comfort until you get some time off to come home. Enjoy it._

 _Your father_

She frowned at the letter. Once again, it didn't' feel like a usual one. She quickly grabbed the envelope and looked into it. Immediately she saw the smaller piece of paper.

 _Neugieriger und neugieriger_

"He was being watched when he wrote the letter" she sighed heavily, biting her lip. She then pulled out the final piece of paper and grabbed a nearby pencil. She quickly went through her father's report. As she decoded the message, her brow furrowed more and more. Putting the pencil down, she looked at the paper.

"Tønsberg, Norway" she announced. "HYDRA thinks that there's something there. My father doesn't know what, but they'll be there within the next week."

Colonel Phillips sat back in his chair and sighed heavily. Peggy walked over to her friend and took the letter from her to read it for herself. She then handed it to Alexander who did the same thing. Béatrice sat with her eyes closed praying that this would be the moment that Phillips would announce that she was to get her family out. It was becoming more and more dangerous

"Faust, how's your Norwegian?" the Colonel suddenly spoke.

She opened her eyes staring directly at him. She already knew where this was going. "Barely conversational I would say. I spent a few weeks there one summer."

"Good enough for more. Carter, get transportation together. I need these two out of here and back to London in two days" he instructed to the British agent. "Get them covers and a way into Norway."

Peggy and Béatrice both exchanged a look with one another. It was almost as if they were thinking the same thing. This was not a normal mission for her and Alexander at all. Typically, they were working with the Jewish community. She wondered why there was the sudden change. HYDRA was on the move more and more, so perhaps it was necessary to get more agents into the field. Still, the brunette felt uneasy about just sending her two friends into the field.

"Carter, did I stutter?" Phillips demanded causing her to jump a little.

"No sir" she quickly shook her head. "But if I may, perhaps I should accompany them on this mission."

"Absolutely not" Phillips protested. "You're needed here. I'm going to meet with Congress about the German doctor. I'll need your help with that."

Béatrice frowned just at the mention of Doctor Erskine. He must have been referring to his secret experiment that she nor Alexander had the pleasure of knowing just yet. She looked up at her friend and he reached to gently squeeze her shoulder. He looked just a disappointed as she was. They were going to have to leave D.C. He would have to leave Evelyn. They heading back to Europe. Norway more specifically.

However, there was something that plagued her mind the most. What exactly were they about to walk into?

 **There you have it! Sorry it was delayed. I've been having wrist problems and typing for long periods of time has been a bit difficult. I'm getting there, but I'm going to try and take it easy. Or force myself to stop writing 4K to 8K chapters. Though I don't think I can...anyway let me know what you think. Also check out my tumblr occasionally. It's just my username on here with the tumblr URL. I may post a sneak peak or two. You never know. Read and review!**

 **P.S. I'm in the market for a beta. Know anyone interested let me know. I need a proof reader/idea bouncer.**

 **Guest Review Replies:**

 **Guest: Well welcome to the story! I'm so glad you're enjoying it. They are pretty cute together aren't they? I'm sorry I made you cry, but it needed to be done. But we all know Bucky is going to be sent to Europe. Who knows who he'll run into there…..**

 **Love: You are so nice to me...stop...but not really. I'm so glad you enjoyed this! I'm sorry it was shattering, but it had to be done. But remember Bucky will be going to Europe soon...so will someone else. You never know what's going to happen!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize.**

Béatrice sat at the table in the guest bedroom with a book in her hand, trying to calm her mind as best as she could, but nothing was helping. Norway was haunting her. It almost seemed like a suicide mission to her, since there was hardly any information. All they really knew was that HYDRA was after something in Norway, that's it. Instead of being sent back home to help her family, this is what she was going to have to do.

What bothered her the most was that she was being sent. This wasn't a normal mission. She didn't completely understand Phillips reasoning behind it, but she had no room to protest at all. She would have to follow orders.

A knock on the door caused her to look up. After a moment, she saw Evelyn open the door. "I hope I'm not disturbing you. I saw your light on and figured you'd still be up."

"You're not disturbing me at all. Come in. please" the German gave her a small smile.

"Alexander told me about Norway" she said sitting down beside her. "I'm sorry. I know you were hoping to go back to Germany for your family."

The brunette shrugged in response. "It is what it is. It is frustrating, but every time I get a new mission I tell myself that maybe after this one, I will be able to recuse my family."

Evelyn gave her a sad smile and nodded her head. "I hope that it will happen one day. You deserve it after everything you've done. Without you, I'm not even sure we would be able to be where we are in the war."

"I do very little compared to what others do. My sacrifice is small in comparison" Béatrice replied.

Evelyn left out a huff. "Doubtful" she waved her hand. "Anyway" she began to change the subject. "I also heard that you may have gotten a letter. One with a Brooklyn return address."

She looked up and saw the redhead smirking at her with raised eyebrows. The brunette let out a laugh and reached into her pocket. She pulled out the letter from Bucky and placed it on the table.

"Well go on then" the redhead urged her. "Read it! You have to know what he said and I want to know as well!"

The brunette nodded her head and slid the letter towards her. She picked it up, opened the envelope and began to read the letter out loud.

 _Dear Béatrice,_

 _I just finished reading your first letter. It helped me pass some time on this bus back to Brooklyn. Figured since I still had a long way to go, I'd go ahead and respond. We should be stopping any time and hopefully I can find a place to get a stamp and mail this to you. I just couldn't help myself I guess. I couldn't wait to write you something._

 _To say that I enjoyed these past few weeks is a bit of an understatement. I'm like you, there's really no way to describe it. I should probably thank you for taking a chance on someone like me. I'm probably the last person on the planet you would ever have wanted to have anything to do with, but you put that aside and looked past my flaws. For the first time in my life, you challenged me to be someone different. You taught me to look at the world in a way I never thought I would. You're the most amazing woman I ever met and I miss your company already._

 _I hope your stay in D.C. is nice. It's a wonderful place to visit. I'm sure you're looking forward to meeting Evelyn. Let me know how she learned to tame old grumpy pants. She must be something special to melt his ice cold heart, but then again maybe he just didn't like me. Speaking of McPherson, tell him I said hello. I bet he'll be livid, but it'll give you a good laugh I'm sure. I always loved your laugh._

 _I wish you were coming to New York though. You're right, I owe you a date. There's this really nice restaurant down the street from my apartment. It's an Italian joint and it's a place you'd only go to for special occasions, but being on a date with you would call for one. We'd go there to eat and then I'd take you to one of the dancing clubs. You need to practice what I taught you after all. The minute we're both in New York, this is happening. No discussion about it at all. The more I think about it, the more I wish it could happen, and the more I miss you._

 _I know you might not be able to tell me what your missions are or where you'll be going, but can you please tell me when you're about to go somewhere for a period of time? I'd go out of my mind with worry if I didn't know you'd be gone for a while. But let's face it, I'm going to be worried about you regardless. I know you can handle anything, but please be careful. Be careful for me._

 _I miss you. More than you could possibly imagine. I can't wait to hear from you._

 _Bucky_

She sat the letter down and looked over at Evelyn. The redhead had a small smile on her face and sighed softly. She looked as though she had just heard the most wonderful thing ever written.

"I hope you realize how in love with you he is" she spoke, still smiling. "He's completely smitten with you!"

Béatrice rolled her eyes at her. "It's not like that at all."

"Sure it's not" the redhead pouted her lips and then smirked. "He just mentioned how much he already missed you what two….three times was it? I know you're not dumb sweetheart. It's completely obvious. "

The German looked down and stayed quiet. She knew Evelyn was right, but she couldn't bring herself to admit it. She could barely admit the whole situation to herself. There was still a lot of doubt inside. Bucky may have feelings for her, but it could change. He could meet someone who could be with him. He wouldn't have to wait for them. He deserved someone who wouldn't make him wait. Someone who would make him a priority.

Evelyn must have seen the conflict on her face because she soon felt a hand gently squeeze her own. Béatrice looked up and over at her. "It's okay to love people right now. People make it seem like the world is such a bad place, so we need to make sure there's some good in it. Your family and your missions can take up all your time, but I'll bet you anything there's enough room in your heart for Bucky too." With that Evelyn got up from the chair and left Béatrice to her thoughts.

* * *

To say that Bucky's evening was a disaster was too kind to say. It was a nightmare. The girl from the diner, Holly...Helen….something. Bucky couldn't remember her name. Mostly because he was just ready to be rid of her. The entire evening, she would not stop talking at all. She was clearly desperate for attention and had definitely been on the hunt for a boyfriend. She didn't care about getting to know him at all and her thoughts about the war was something that he really didn't want to hear.

"This was so much fun" the girl rambled on. "We should definitely go out again sometime. I'm free basically all the time."

"Absolutely" Bucky rolled his eyes slightly, trying to hide how unenthusiastic he was. The pair stopped in front of her apartment building and she smiled seductively at him.

"You know, my roommate is gone, so I have the whole place to myself. A girl can get kind of lonely in a big empty place like this" she trailed her fingers up his chest. "Would you like to come in for a bit? Maybe even spend the rest of the night with me?"

It took everything in him to hide his disdain. This girl was desperate; really desperate and she clearly didn't know the difference between a good date and a bad date. "Maybe some other time. I have something to do in the morning."

She looked hurt and pouted slightly. "Are you sure?"

"Positive" he nodded.

The next thing he knew, she had flung her arms around him and pressed her lips harshly against his own. He mentally yelled at himself for not keeping his guard up. She was kissing him desperately trying to get him to kiss her back. The kiss was sloppy and not something he wanted to experience again. He pushed her away from him and she just smiled.

"Call me tomorrow" she giggled and with that she turned and walked up the fire escape to her apartment.

Bucky groaned to himself as he walked back to his apartment. He had been on a lot of dates in his life, but that was definitely one of the worst. He would not be calling whatever her name was at all. He'd rather poke his eyes out.

Walking up to his apartment and walking inside, he went directly to his bedroom and flopped onto his bed. He wasn't tired at all. He got up off the bed and went to go get himself a drink, when he stopped. Sitting on the top of his desk was Béatrice's letter. Just looking at it made him miss her.

He suddenly got an idea and smiled. He grabbed a piece of paper as well as a pen and sat down to write a letter.

 _Dear Béatrice,_

 _I haven't gotten a letter from you yet. Unless you're not going to write to me and haven't sent one, but for some reason I don't think that's the case. I probably just haven't gotten it yet or you haven't received my first letter yet._

 _But I couldn't wait. I know you're probably busy with a lot, so don't feel obligated to write back as soon as you get my letters. I'm probably going to write a lot, just because I'm not sure what else there is to do while I wait for my orders. But also because I just want to write to you. You did tell me to tell you everything that I did after all._

 _I got back to Brooklyn today and Steve was waiting for me at the bus station. I was happy to see him and I think he's happy to have me back. I think he's been a little lonely without me. He asked a lot about training. He's still trying to find a way to enlist and I suspect that while I was gone he went to a few recruiting stations to try and get approved. Clearly, he hasn't had any success or I wouldn't have heard the end of it. It'd be nice if we could get orders to go over there together and fight. Having my best friend at my side would make things easier. Until I got to see you of course. That would be even better. Then you'd get to meet Steve. I think you two would get along perfectly. I think he'd really admire what you're doing._

 _Also, I made sure not to tell him about you. I figured it would be safer for you. Not that he wouldn't be able to keep a secret because God knows he could, but I didn't want to take the chance. He asked if I met any dames while at camp, but I told him no._

 _Speaking of dames, I went on a date this evening. There was a girl at the diner Steve and I went to. According to Steve, she had barely taken her eyes off of me, but I didn't notice. Her name was Helen or Holly or something. To be honest I really don't remember. Remember how I told you about girls who just said what they thought I wanted to hear. She was just like that. Frankly, she wouldn't shut up. All she could talk about was herself and it seemed as though she didn't have a care in the world. She had it in her head that the war was going to be over quickly. She didn't understand why so many men were enlisting. She was more concerned about how it would ruin her chances at finding the right man._

 _Needless to say, I will not be having a second date with her. She tried to get me to stay the night with her, but I declined. She even kissed me and it was God awful. Couldn't pay me enough money to take her out again._

 _Enough about me though, I want to hear about you. How are you? Have you gotten new mission yet? Any news on when you can finally go get your family? How's old grumpy pants? In a weird way, I miss him glaring at me every day. But not as much as I miss you of course. I miss you the most._

 _I hope you're well and I can't wait to hear from you when you can._

 _Bucky_

He sat the pen down and read over the letter again. He hoped he didn't sound too desperate or anything, but he just needed someone to talk to. He needed to talk to her. He put the letter down and got up and flopped onto his bed. Looking up at the ceiling, he bit his lip and sighed heavily. He missed Béatrice. He missed her more than anything. Turning over, he sighed again, wishing that her warm body was next to his own. At least he had her in his dreams.

* * *

On their last day in D.C. Alexander, Evelyn, and Béatrice sat around the Miller's dining room table for breakfast. Evelyn was currently pouting and sighing over the fact that her fiancé and her new friend would be leaving her much too soon. Béatrice herself had to admit that she would miss Evelyn and her company. It was a nice break from anything military related and she enjoyed getting to know the woman who had her best friend's heart.

However, their upcoming mission plagued her thoughts. Everything about it was still bothering her.

"We'll be back before you know it" Alexander assured Evelyn as she rolled her eyes for the tenth time in five minutes. The redhead was not happy that instead of going to London, they were headed straight to Norway for another mission.

"I still don't understand why they are sending you. Aren't there other people who can do this? Shouldn't you be getting Béatrice's family out of Germany or helping more Jewish individuals?" she huffed loudly in response.

Béatrice looked up from her plate and raised her eyebrows at Alexander. "She has a point you know. You can't tell me you don't find it strange that we're being sent to infiltrate HYDRA and whatever it is they are after."

The blonde sighed heavily and looked between the two women. "I know, but they're our orders. Can't do much about it. You know how Phillips is. Besides, I'd stay on his good side so you don't get punished again."

"Which was the dumbest thing on this good green earth" Evelyn interrupted, glaring at him. "I bet if a man had done that there would've been no questions asked. He'd get a damn medal. But no because it was a woman, she gets sent to the middle of bumble-fuck nowhere."

The color in Alexander's face drained as Evelyn uttered her last sentence. "That was….that…was quite colorful language darling."

Béatrice let out a quiet snicker and looked over at the redhead, who gave her a wink as she chewed her food. "I need to start packing" she suddenly spoke. "So I'll see you all later."

The engaged couple watched as their friend got up and left the room in a hurry to go get her things ready.

Alexander raised an eyebrow and looked over at his bride to be. "You haven't asked her yet have you?"

Evelyn shook her head. "I haven't. However, the dresses are coming today, so I figured I'd ask her then."

"You have dresses picked out and you haven't bothered to ask her? What if she says no?" he frowned at her.

"Sweetheart, when she sees the dresses and how gorgeous she's going to look, she won't say no, duh" Evelyn wrinkled her face and stuck out her tongue at him.

* * *

Steve frowned at the sight of Bucky still in bed. Looking at his watch it was nearly noon and his friend was still not out of bed or even awake. He couldn't put his finger on it, but ever since he had gotten back there was something off about him. It was almost as though he was off somewhere else or his mind was on something he wouldn't speak of.

"Buck it's almost noon" he reached out and shook his friend awake. Bucky sighed heavily and groaned causing Steve to laugh. "Late night?"

"Couldn't sleep" Bucky huffed rolling over, putting his pillow on top of his head.

Steve looked at him in disbelief. "Couldn't sleep or you were too busy to sleep?" he chuckled slightly. "What was name of the girl you took out last night? Molly….Maggie?"

"Don't remember" Bucky grumbled throwing the pillow off of him and sitting up in bed. "She wasn't that great. Kind of boring actually. Desperate too."

"That's the third girl you've taken out since you got back and said that about" his friend frowned at him slightly. "Are you sure you're okay Buck? This isn't like you. You don't jump through girls like this normally. At least one of them would get a second date out of you."

Bucky shrugged at him. He wasn't okay. He knew it. Steve knew it. Hell, all of Brooklyn probably knew it, but he couldn't help it. He just wasn't interested in going on dates with anyone. None of the girls compared to Béatrice. He was trying to move on, honest he was, but every time he even looked at another girl all he could do was think about how they weren't her.

Steve stared at his best friend. He wouldn't admit it, but deep down he knew something was wrong with him. Everything that he was doing was out of character for him. He wondered if something happened during training that he hadn't mentioned or if his friend was simply just nervous about the fact that he would soon be sent overseas. He always thought Bucky was fearless, but maybe he finally realized what was about to happen.

"Oh by the way" Steve suddenly spoke and reached into his coat pocket. "There was a letter for you in your mailbox. No return address though, so can't tell you who it's from." With that, he threw the letter onto the bed.

Bucky took it in his hand and frowned. The letter was addressed to him in a neat handwriting. Turning it over, he felt himself freeze. On the back of it was a drawing. A small rabbit. His eyes softened and he felt a small smile appear on his lips. It was from Béatrice. She had written back to him.

"It's not your orders is it?" he heard Steve ask.

Bucky shook his head. "No" he said quickly. "It's nothing important."

Steve stared at him, unconvinced, but didn't push the matter further. "Get up and I'll make us some coffee."

Bucky nodded at him and watched as his friend left his bedroom. Once the coast was clear, he ripped open the envelope and began to read his letter.

 _Dear Bucky,_

 _How are you? I trust you're back in Brooklyn by now. Have you seen Steve? I just received your letter today. It was waiting for me when I arrived to speak with Colonel Phillips. I was happy to receive it, though I did have to lie in order to make sure no one knew anything was going on._

 _D.C. is wonderful and Evelyn is even better than I could've possibly imagined. She's quite the firecracker. She was furious at first that Alexander didn't call to tell her we were coming, but it changed once she realized that he had brought me with him. To say she was thrilled is an understatement. I think if she died tomorrow, she would have died happy just because she met me. She's so different than anyone I've ever met. She speaks her mind constantly and she's not afraid to go up against anyone. She said she had half a mind to go to Colonel Phillips and demand that I be sent to get my family or she would "hang him upside down by his balls." We've become good friends in such a small amount of time. I told her about you and I read her your letter. I think it's safe to say she likes you and wants to meet you as well._

 _I can see why Alexander loves her so much. They are so different, but when they are together it's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. They have restored my faith in the concept of marriage I think. If they can make it, then anyone can._

 _I have been given new orders. Another letter from my father came along with your letter. It brought unsettling news I'm afraid. They're being watched again. He put the code word in the letter and just his letter itself was out of character. I'm starting to fear for the worst. I need to get back to Germany and soon._

 _I don't think I'm supposed to tell you this, but I trust you. My letters are also mailed with care, so I doubt anyone will go through them. Alexander and I are heading to Norway. It's not our usual mission, but it appears that the Nazi's are looking for something. We've been told to find out what and if we can we're supposed to get it before the Germans do. I'm not sure how this will go especially since I can barely speak the language. Perhaps I should start learning._

 _To be honest, I'm not happy about this mission. I should be in Austria, Poland, or even Germany. I should be helping my family in friends. I'm starting to doubt why I ever agreed to do this if I can't even help those I care about. I'm worried about my family and there's been no news of Rifka yet. I just want to go home. I want my family back. I wish this war was over._

 _I wish I could see you again. I've been thinking about you a lot. I hope you're having fun at home. Write to me soon if you would like._

 _Béatrice_

 _P.S. That date sounds perfect. I'm holding you to it._

He smiled at the last line of the letter, Bucky felt a pain in his chest. He could almost feel her frustration at the end of the letter. He couldn't believe that she was being sent to Norway of all places instead of somewhere where she could be more useful. She had already done so much and had been successful. So why not have her keep doing what she was good at.

He looked over at his desk and saw two blank, but sealed envelopes sitting on it. He had written her another two letters already. Both of which, he was planning on sending today. He just couldn't stop writing to her. She had gotten under his skin and there was no use trying to stop it. He got up off his bed and walked over to the desk. Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, he began to write another note to her. He'd have three letters to send now. While it may have made him look desperate, all he knew was that it would make her smile.

* * *

Evelyn frowned as she stared at the two dresses. She tapped her foot on the hardwood floor and sighed. She couldn't decide which one she liked more. Placing a finger under her chin, her lip twitched to the side.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Béatrice walking past the doorway and quickly went after her. "Béatrice darling" she called out causing the brunette to stop."Could I have your opinion on something?"

"Sure" Béatrice nodded her head. The redhead then motioned for her to come into her room. Walking in, she saw there were two dresses on Evelyn's bed. Both were long satin evening gowns with cap sleeves with one being blue and the other being purple.

"Which one do you like best?" Evelyn asked her. "I just can't decide on which color I like more."

Béatrice stared at the two dresses for a moment. Both were beautiful and elegant. Something that she herself would love to wear one day. The blue was nice, but her eyes kept gravitating towards the purple one, but she had always liked the color more than any other. "Purple" she turned her head to look at Evelyn.

"Excellent" she clapped her hands together in response. She walked over to the bed and picked it up, holding it out in front of the brunette. "Go try it on. I need to see how it looks on you."

"I'm sorry?" the German looked at her in confusion.

Evelyn let out a laugh. "Well I need to know what my maid of honor is going to look like in the dress after all. I can't be the only one looking her best on the big day."

Béatrice's eyes went wide. Was she hearing her correctly? Maid of honor, her? "Wh…what?"

Evelyn nodded her head. "You're the obvious choice after all." She then noticed the shocked expression on the brunette's face and sighed. Walking closer to her, dress still in hand, she held it out to her. "Look, I'm going to be honest here. I don't have many or any? female friends. A lot of women feel threatened by me, but also many just don't like how honest I am. Then there's the ones who only want to be friends with me because of who my father is. The point is, I'm very hesitant about trusting people and who is in my inner circle. I know we haven't known each other long, but after hearing so much about you from Alexander, I realize how important you are in our lives. I consider you to be a friend, a close one, family even and I want you to be my maid of honor when I walk down the aisle, so will you? Please?"

Béatrice stood frozen in shock looking at Evelyn. The young woman looking at her, eyes desperate for an answer considered her to be a close friend, someone that she trusted. Slowly, she nodded her head. "I'd be honored to."

Evelyn let out a squeal and nearly threw the dress to her. "Thank you! Thank you!" she exclaimed happily. "Now go try it on." She nearly shoved her behind the dressing panel.

Evelyn paced around the room as she waited for Béatrice to finish putting the dress on. "Now that we've met I will expect letters from you as often as I do from Alexander. Besides I want to keep hearing about how things go with your Bucky."

"You make it sound like he's mine" the German called back to her.

"He basically is" Evelyn shrugged. She heard a knock on the door and saw Harold appear in the doorframe.

"Apologies Miss Miller, but there is a letter here for Miss Faust from Brooklyn" he told her, holding out the letter. Evelyn smirked and ran over to take it as he turned to go back down the hallway.

"I think I know who this is from" Evelyn sang happily. "Want me to open it and read it?"

"Why not?" the German called out.

The redhead ripped open the envelope. "Dear Béatrice I haven't gotten a letter from you yet. Unless you're not going to write to me and haven't sent one, but for some reason I don't think that's the case. I probably just haven't gotten it yet or you haven't received my first letter yet. But I couldn't wait. I know you're probably busy with a lot, so don't feel obligated to write back as soon as you get my letters. I'm probably going to write a lot, just because I'm not sure what else there is to do while I wait for my orders. But also because I just want to write to you. You did tell me to tell you everything that I did after all." She stopped and let out another squeal. "Ooh he just couldn't wait to write you." She smiled happily and then went back to the letter.

"I got back to Brooklyn today and Steve was waiting for me at the bus station. I was happy to see him and I think he's happy to have me back. I think he's been a little lonely without me. He asked a lot about training. He's still trying to find a way to enlist and I suspect that while I was gone he went to a few recruiting stations to try and get approved. Clearly, he hasn't had any success or I wouldn't have heard the end of it. It'd be nice if we could get orders to go over there together and fight. Having my best friend at my side would make things easier. Until I got to see you of course. That would be even better. Then you'd get to meet Steve. I think you two would get along perfectly. I think he'd really admire what you're doing" she stopped again and let out a sigh. "Um hello, someone misses you like crazy! He's pining over you! I can't handle this!"

"Also, I made sure not to tell him about you. I figured it would be safer for you. Not that he wouldn't be able to keep a secret because God knows he could, but I didn't want to take the chance. He asked if I met any dames while at camp, but I told him no. Speaking of dames, I went on a date this evening. There was a girl at the diner Steve and I went to. According to Steve, she had barely taken her eyes off of me, but I didn't notice. Her name was Helen or Holly or something. To be honest I really don't remember. Remember how I told you about girls who just said what they thought I wanted to hear. She was just like that. Frankly, she wouldn't shut up. All she could talk about was herself and it seemed as though she didn't have a care in the world. She had it in her head that the war was going to be over quickly. She didn't understand why so many men were enlisting. She was more concerned about how it would ruin her chances at finding the right man. Needless to say, I will not be having a second date with her. She tried to get me to stay the night with her, but I declined. She even kissed me and it was God awful. Couldn't pay me enough money to take her out again"

Evelyn stopped and frowned. "He's dating? What the hell! No, he should not be doing that. You write to him and tell him he's your man. Not this tart he's talking about. God, she sounds like a bitch."

"Evelyn…." Béatrice sighed heavily. "I told him to live his life. That includes dating other women."

"Bullshit" the redhead muttered under her breath. "Enough about me though, I want to hear about you. How are you? Have you gotten a new mission yet? Any news on when you can finally go get your family? How's old grumpy pants? In a weird way, I miss him glaring at me every day. But not as much as I miss you of course. I miss you the most. I hope you're well and I can't wait to hear from you when you can."

She felt someone behind her and turned around to see Béatrice standing behind her in the dress. Evelyn's mouth nearly dropped open. "Darling. Holy shit. You look amazing. Alexander told me you were pretty, but he was wrong. You in that dress….you're gorgeous."

Béatrice blushed at the compliment slightly. "It's a nice dress" she nodded. "I feel pretty in it."

"You should feel beautiful in it. Not just pretty" Evelyn replied walking over and handed Bucky's letter to her. "I think it's safe to say he's lonely without you. Missing you like crazy obviously. You really made quite an impression on this one. Maybe he can be your date to the wedding!"

Béatrice took the letter and looked over it. She didn't quite know what to make of Bucky's letter. It was honest for one. He was very open about everything he was doing. He 'd also gone ahead and written her another letter before he had even received her own reply. That said a lot to her, it said he was serious about her. Or at least about writing to her. Evelyn was right. She had made an impression on him and she was finally seeing just how much she had.

 **There you have it! Thank you all so much for the continued response to this story. I'm so happy to be getting the response I am.**

 **Shout out to inperfection who happily agreed to be my beta for this! She was awesome and literally has become a life saver for me! I appreciate you doing this more than anything darling!**

 **Guest Review Replies:**

 **Guest: I'm glad that you enjoyed it and like Evelyn. She is so much fun to write. I really wanted to create a modern 1940s woman with no filter and that's how she came out. I can't wait to do more with her! I have a lot of plans for when Béatrice and Alexander return to Europe. They will be heading back there next chapter. We're finally going to get into some of TFA movie.**

 **Love: Isn't Evelyn hilarious? There's not stopping her that's for sure. As for her health….no comment. Yeah I feel bad for Bucky to, but his hands are really tied in this one. But I think his two letters really showed how he feels about it in a way. How he feels about Béatrice, but of course she's being stubborn. Thank you for your kind words as always.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize.**

 _Brooklyn, New York_

Bucky opened the mailbox outside of his apartment, it had been a few days since he had heard from Béatrice and he silently hoped today would be the day he would get another letter. He made good on his promise to write to her often. Every night he would lay in bed for about an hour, with sleep never taking him. Eventually, he would force himself out of bed and pen another letter to her.

To some it may have seemed silly and desperate, but to him it was the only thing keeping him sane with all the random dates he was going on. It also felt like they only way to keep her as close to him as possible.

He dug into the mailbox and pulled out a single envelope addressed to him. He flipped it over and sure enough a rabbit was drawn on the back of it. It was from her; his wish had come true.

Tearing it open with a wide smile on his face, he began to read it.

 _Dear Bucky,_

 _By the time you get this, I'll probably be long gone. We're headed back to London before we go to Norway, so it might take a little longer to receive your letters and to respond, but don't fear. I promise you, I will respond to each and every one. Know that you're on my mind often and I hope you're well._

 _I'm sorry to hear that your date didn't go well. To be frank, she sounded dreadful. I think you're smart by not going on a second date with her. You can do much better than someone like her. I'm sure you'll be able to find someone nice enough to date before you get your orders. You're a very charming and wonderful person to be around, so I don't see why it would be a problem. You are a ladies man after all._

 _I'm a little nervous about returning to Europe I must admit. I'm unsure of how to feel about this mission to Norway. It's a bit out of the ordinary for me. There are others far more qualified for a mission such as this, but instead they are sending Alexander and I. I just wish they were sending me home instead. One day perhaps._

 _I'm sorry this letter may seem short, but I only had a few minutes to write it before we left. I miss you and I can't wait to hear from you._

 _Béatrice_

 _P.S. And before you ask, of course I'll stay safe. I'll make sure to always stay safe for you._

He felt a number of things as he finished the letter. First and foremost was sadness. She was on her way back to Europe and the fact that she was no longer in the country tugged at his heartstrings greatly. She was now even further away, from him.

The second thing he felt was worry. Bucky knew she wouldn't want him to worry about her, but he couldn't help it. What she did was dangerous and while he was immensely proud of how much courage she had to be a spy, there would always be a part of him that would wonder if this was the mission where something would go wrong. The fact that they were sending her on a mission she was not used to doing deeply concerned him. He wondered what she would be doing and why her superiors felt the need to send her and McPherson as opposed to someone else. He silently prayed that she would be okay. At least she had old grumpy pants with her and Bucky knew he'd do anything to protect her.

The last thing he felt was a small shred of happiness. She missed him and had been thinking about him often. Above all else that is what he took away from the letter. She was thinking about him just like he was thinking about her, that's what did it. It gave him hope that maybe things would work out between them after all. It was a small chance, but he was not willing to let it go.

* * *

 _S.S.R. Headquarters London, England_

"Captain McPherson, Agent Faust, welcome back" an agent spoke to the pair as they walked down the hallway.

She was finally back in Europe, well…London at least. It wasn't as close to home as what Béatrice wanted, but then again it was better than being stuck doing nothing for weeks on end.

As she and Alexander walked to the main operations room, her mind drifted to Evelyn. The redhead had not been happy to say goodbye to either of them. There was a moment where she even thought that Evelyn wouldn't let go of her or Alexander when she hugged them goodbye. She was determined to keep those closest to her near. Her eyes had said it all. She was sad, angry, and frustrated, but there was always a price to pay in war, it was the cost for the possibility of peace.

It was a price that Béatrice hoped many of them would not have to continue to pay.

She and Alexander walked to her desk, discussing some last minute preparations for their trip to Norway. They still had not been told much. Only that they were supposed go to the local church in Tønsberg and talk to the church keeper. From there, the information did not exist. The lack of information continued to make her nervous.

Walking over to her desk, the two stopped, noticing a pile of letters on top of it. "Jeez, you have a lot of mail" the blonde commented.

Béatrice frowned at the small pile on her desk. They couldn't all be from her father could they? Surely someone would have alerted her to it. However, picking up the envelopes she looked at them. Her heart stopped, "They're all from Bucky" she looked up at him, smiling.

"Three letters?" Alexander looked at her desk in disbelief. "Does he not have a life outside of writing to you now?"

The brunette only shrugged at him and sat down, laughing. "I told him to live his life. I can't help that he's not doing what I said. I have no control over him." She then shot him a smirk as she began to look at the files that were on her desk.

Her friend picked up the envelopes and looked at them closer. "Oh I would argue you have more control over him than you think. Can I read them?"

Béatrice glared at him and snatched the letters from his possession. "Absolutely not" she huffed. "They're not addressed to you."

"But you let Evelyn read them" Alexander protested, pouting.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well we both know how difficult it is to say no to Evelyn."

"Touché" he nodded his head in agreement. "I'm going to check on the preparations for us leaving tomorrow. Do you need anything?"

"No" she shook her head. "Thank you though. I'll be here if you need anything."

"Enjoy your letters from your boyfriend" he shot her a smirk before turning to leave.

"Not my boyfriend" she called out and rolled her eyes. She sighed and sat back in her seat, mulling over Alexander's words. She had no control over Bucky. There was no way. He was just writing to her like she had asked.

She opened a drawer and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Pulling one out, she lit it with a nearby match from a box also on her desk. The letters seemed as though they were yelling at her to be opened. She was anxious to do so. She was curious as to why Bucky had written her so much. She had expected him to write when she had, but she didn't realize he would be writing her even when he had yet to receive a letter. She had only sent him two and now he had sent her four.

Reaching over, she grabbed one that had been post marked first.

 _Dear Béatrice,_

 _I hope you're well. I still haven't received a letter from you. I guess the military mail is slow or something. Or is it? I'm not complaining, I'm just looking forward to hearing from you that's all._

 _I hope you're having fun in D.C. There's a lot to do there, so I'm sure you're keeping busy. But I'm sure you're anxious to get back to Europe. I'm feeling somewhat anxious myself to get over there. They said it would be a few weeks before I got orders, but I'm hoping I'll get them sooner rather than later._

 _Steve and I have been spending time together. He tried to enlist again. His new thing is to start using false names and addresses. He's really desperate to be in the Army and serve his country. I admire him for the resilience, but I'm worried it's only going to end in disappointment for him. I'm worried what's going to happen to him once I get my orders. Since his mom died, I've been the one looking out for him and if I'm gone, he'll have no one._

 _I went on another date last night. You're probably rolling your eyes as you read that. I continue to live up to your original interpretation of me. This one was a lot better than the one before, but still not great. Her name was Emily. She was a blonde, which I should have taken as the first negative sign. She was nice, but a little too timid and quiet. Not that it was a bad thing, but she unexpectedly brought a friend with her. Which meant that I had to drag Steve along with me for her friend. He wasn't pleased. Her friend really wasn't a fan of Steve and wouldn't even dance with him. I was able to get more out of Emily finally when I took her dancing, but all she did was complain about her ex-boyfriend. After that I couldn't get her to shut up about him. I don't think I'll be taking her out again either._

 _I seem to be having terrible luck since I got back to Brooklyn with dating. Maybe that's on account of you though. No one's as interesting at you are. I hope you're well. Tell old grumpy pants to keep you safe or I'll come and kick his ass when I'm over there._

 _Bucky_

Béatrice let out a laugh as she finished the letter. Bucky was right, he was having terrible luck with it came to dating. Perhaps he needed to lower his expectations then. She'd be sure to tell him that when she responded. She picked up the second letter and opened it to read it too.

 _Dear Béatrice,_

 _I still haven't gotten a letter from you yet, but I expect I should get one from you shortly. It has only been two days since I last saw you though. Two days too many if you ask me._

 _I hope you don't get annoyed with all the letters I'm sending you. I haven't been sleeping much since I got back to Brooklyn and the only thing I find myself doing is writing to you. If you're annoyed, I'm sorry, but something tells me that you won't be angry._

 _I went on another date last night. It actually started out nice. Her name was Carolyn. She was a secretary and we had a nice conversation. She appreciated the fact that I wanted to serve in the military and found it very brave. We went dancing. That was a mistake. It turned out her boyfriend hadn't been paying much attention to her and she wanted to get back at him. It just so happened that her boyfriend was also the bartender at the club we went to. I barely made it out of there before getting punched._

 _I think under other circumstances I would have been angry, but instead I was relived. Maybe I should just swear off dating for a bit. What do you think?_

 _Hope D.C. is well and that you're getting along with Evelyn. I can't imagine why you wouldn't. Sure you were infuriating to me and stubborn when we first met, but that was completely different. You're not a hard person to get along with. Easy to like too. Really easy._

 _Miss you._

 _Bucky_

She shook her head once she was done and picked up the final letter.

 _Dear Béatrice,_

 _I finally received a letter from you today. Took you long enough._

 _I'm happy to hear you're having fun and getting along with Evelyn. She sounds like quite a dame. How did old grumpy pants manage to get someone like her? She sounds like the complete opposite of him. What's their secret? Find out and let me know. She must see something I don't, but she did say she liked me, so she must have good taste in men. I look forward to meeting her in the future._

 _Norway? That doesn't sound like a typical mission for you at all. Why are they sending you? Can't someone else go in your place? Have they even told you what you're supposed to be_

 _looking for? What could possibly be in Norway that Hitler would want? You've got me worried now too. Just do me a favor, please be careful and write to me as soon as you get back so I don't go out of my mind. I really don't like this at all. However, I know whatever they are making you do, you can handle it. You're strong._

 _I am sorry though that they aren't sending you back to where you want to. I know you're probably frustrated about not being able to get your family out and about the lack of information regarding Rifka. Keep faith though. There's always hope that tomorrow could be the day where you're sent back to Germany or you get the news that you seek. Everything will be alright. One day all of this will just be a distant memory. With us coming into the war, a lot of people say it won't last much longer. Let's hope everyone is right. Know I'm here for you whenever you need it._

 _I know I keep saying this, but I really do miss you. I wish I could see you as well. Steve thinks something is off with me because I don't seem interested in dates and according to him I've been different since I got back from training. I think I owe that to you. You really changed my perspective on life. Opened my eyes to a world that was really just staring in front of me. God, I miss you so much._

 _Be safe when you go to Norway and if you can, send me a letter before you have to leave. I'll be thinking about you constantly._

 _Bucky_

 _P.S. When this is all over, I'll take you on that date. I promise and rarely do I break those promises._

Béatrice felt her eyes welling up with tears. She took a deep puff of her cigarette and inhaled, trying to pull herself together. She missed Bucky. She really missed him. In that moment, she wished that he was there with her and could hold her for a few minutes. Writing to him and reading his letters was going to become very difficult. With each letter she felt herself falling harder and harder. She knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't help what her heart wanted.

She smiled softly thinking about how badly his dates were going. She may have been overthinking it, but she believed it was because of her. He didn't want to date anyone. He didn't want to be with anyone else.

However, something pulled her back to reality. She told him to move on with his life. That's what he should have been doing. Her smile fell. He shouldn't be waiting on her. He deserved someone who would be there when he needed them to. Deep down, she knew she wasn't what he needed in life.

She extinguished the cigarette and hit her head on the table, groaning. How did she get herself into this mess? She was so confused. What was the right thing to do? The only thing she needed to do in that moment was respond to his letter. Let him know that she was alright and about to leave. However, it was going to take days for the letter to even get to him. She could leave and come back by the time it even got to him. Or worse….

She shook the negative thoughts from her head and a figure caught her eye. A tall, blonde female was walking past her desk with a stack of files in her hand.

"Private Lorraine" she called out causing the blonde to stop and turn to her.

The blonde's head perked up and she walked over to the desk. "Agent Faust, what can I do for you?"

"I hate to ask this, but I have a small favor if that's all right" the German explained.

Lorraine sat on the edge of her desk and shrugged. "Sure darling. Besides I owe you for helping me with filing that paperwork a few months ago. I'm at your service."

Béatrice gave her a small smile. "It was no trouble at all. Libby was an idiot for not properly teaching you anyway. I was wondering if it was possible to get a letter to the states rushed."

Lorraine bit her lip and squinted her eyes for a moment, clearly deep in thought. "Well to be honest, the only things we can rush are from Phillips directly…." The blonde's voice trailed off and her mouth turned to a smirk. "But if a letter accidently ended up in his pile, I doubt anyone would notice. You need to get something to the states?" She stopped and looked at the letters splashed out across the desk. "Does this have anything to do with the fact that you're constantly getting letters from the states now? Do you have someone special over there now?" she exclaimed excitedly.

Béatrice pursed her lips together in an attempt to hide a smile causing Lorraine to laugh. "I think the less you know the better, just in case."

"Jeez, he must be pretty special for you to be going against regulations to this extent. Figured you'd be more of a rule follower now since Vienna" Lorraine commented.

She shook her head. Everyone was still talking about Vienna. Clearly she would never live it down. "He's special" Béatrice told her nodding her head. "Very special."

* * *

Steve sat with Bucky in his friend's living room. The two men were sitting in silence, beers in hand. Silently, Steve looked at his friend. Something was still wrong with him. It was starting to really bother him. Bucky was not himself and there was no logical reason as to the cause.

Unbeknownst, Bucky was currently worrying his mind over the whereabouts of Béatrice in Norway. He continued to write letters to her daily. It was clear that he couldn't bring himself to stop thinking about her. She haunted his every thought and his dreams. Slowly, she was becoming his everything.

"You look exhausted. Still not sleeping much?" his friend asked looking at him.

Bucky shook his head. "Guess all those early mornings really screwed up my sleep schedule" he lied.

"Maybe give it a few weeks and then you'll finally get back on track" Steve suggested shrugging slightly. He took another sip of his beer and sighed deeply. "Got any plans tonight?" he asked changing the subject.

"Nope" Bucky replied taking a sip from his own beer. "Decided to take a break from the pattern of bad dates for a bit."

"I still can't believe that Bucky Barnes of all people is experiencing bad dates. It's like an oxymoron almost" his friend chuckled slightly.

"Shut up punk" Bucky glared at him. "It happens to everyone."

Steve let out huff and shook his head. "Not to you. Buck, are you sure you're okay? You seem a little more…. off than usual. It's almost like you're here physically, but your mind is elsewhere. You know you can tell me anything right?"

Bucky looked over at his friend and nodded. "Of course. I'm fine I promise. Just lack of sleep and I'm just anxious about getting orders that's all."

"You sure that's it?" Steve persisted, seemingly still unconvinced.

"Positive" Bucky told him nodding again. "If anything was wrong, I'd tell you. I'm fine really."

Steve stared at him quietly for a moment and sighed. He got up and put his coat back on. "I got to go, but I'll see you tomorrow. If you need anything or want to talk, I'm here."

"Thanks" Bucky muttered as he watched Steve leave the apartment. As soon as his friend shut the door, he pulled out an envelope from his pant pocket. Another letter from Béatrice. He had received it earlier today, but hadn't gotten a chance to read it. He was nervous to do so. He knew she had to be in Norway by now.

Shakily, he opened the envelope and pulled out the letter, skimming the words on the page.

 _Dear Bucky,_

 _First off, I am not angry about all of the letters. Surprised, amused, but most certainly not angry. Write to me as often as you like. They always bring a smile to my face. You didn't have to do that, but I appreciate it. It definitely is a treat and gets my mind off of well…. everything._

 _I am so sorry it took that long for my letter to get to you. The military mail can be slow sometimes. However, I called in a favor with a friend for this one to try and get it to you a little faster. I'm leaving for Norway this evening. It's going to take us a few days to get there. Alexander, myself, and a team are posing as photographers for a French newspaper. We'll be smuggled into France under false identities and from there we'll be taking a plane to Norway. I know by the time you read this, you would have been worrying for days, please try not to. I'll be okay. I have old grumpy pants with me after all. It's a little nerve wracking, but I have been on tougher missions. But even that doesn't ease my mind at all. I'll be sure to write the moment I'm back in London. I promise._

 _I am so sorry about all of your bad dates. You really are having rotten luck aren't you? I don't think you should give up though. You just haven't met the right girl yet. Give it time. I'm sure wherever she is, she's worth the wait. You'll find her. You probably just aren't looking in the right places._

 _I spoke to Alexander about your dilemma and asked him what his secret was to a successful relationship like the one he had with Evelyn. He rolled his eyes at me and said "I doubt someone like James Barnes really needs advice like that. Obviously, he's not dating who he should be. Maybe he should open his eyes and make a move." I wasn't sure what he meant by that, but after some pestering he made it seem like you would. Take it as you will._

 _I really appreciated your words about my family and Rikfa. It gave my spirits a much needed lift. Thank you for being so understanding and allowing me to complain about it constantly. I'm sure it gets old to hear about it time and time again, but I'm just so tired of waiting. I'll try to keep faith. Truly I will, but sometimes I wonder if faith ever runs out._

 _I'm sorry to hear you haven't been sleeping. Have you tried some tea? I sometimes find that a nice cup of it helps me fall right asleep. Try it sometime. Maybe the lack of sleep is why you seem off to Steve. Please try and get some. You'll need your strength when you get your orders._

 _You are far too kind with your words about me. I'm nothing special I assure you. The most I did was probably just be honest with you. You did everything else yourself. You flatter me too much._

 _I miss seeing you every day and I still think about you. I'll write when I'm back. Maybe by then you'll have orders. Go try and have a good date for once. Pick a nice girl._

 _Béatrice_

 _P.S. You won't be able to take me on that date if you meet someone. Remember that._

Bucky groaned and ran his hands through his hair. At least he knew she had gotten his letters before she left. Still, there was a lot in here that he didn't know what to do with. The first was McPherson's comment. He knew exactly what he meant. However, his eyes were open. He knew he wasn't dating the right person. But what was he supposed to do? She kept telling him to go out and date people. She said she missed him constantly, but was it enough? Did that mean she felt the same? The P.S. made him think otherwise.

The second was her mission. This didn't help calm his nerves at all. He was losing sleep over this. He just needed to know she was okay. He prayed she was okay. If he didn't hear from her, where would he go from there? He had found perfection, something that he thought was unattainable. Now that he had found it, how could anyone else compare.

"Please be okay sweetheart" he muttered to himself still looking at her letter.

* * *

 _Tønsberg, Norway March, 1942_

The sound of another loud gunshot caused Béatrice to jump and nearly fall into Alexander's arms. They were about two miles outside of the town of Tønsberg. Up until this point, their mission had gone smoothly. A team had been sent with her and Alexander to allow for an easier transition and it had helped. There had been no issues getting into France or Norway. However, it was when they were finally close to Tønsberg when everything went south.

Their intel had said that HYDRA was not going to move into the Norwegian town until the next day, but it had been wrong. They had arrived just as HYDRA did. They had kept their distance from the town and decided to wait until the coast was clear for them to move in. But while they did, they heard the numerous gunshots and bombs go off within the area.

There was another loud crash heard throughout the wooded area they were held up in. "Jesus H. Christ" Alexander muttered looking around. "I thought we had another day."

"Obviously HYDRA decided to change their plans" the brunette quipped watching as another flash of light was seen in the sky. Once the light disappeared into the night, the sounds finally died down. It had become quiet, too quiet.

Suddenly there was a new sound erupting throughout the forest. It sounded mechanical and it was getting closer.

"Get down!" Alexander suddenly demanded and everyone dropped to the ground.

Looking up Béatrice squinted her eyes at the sight that was before her on the nearby road. Tanks were rolling through the forest along with numerous HYDRA patrolmen. The numbers were small, but it still seemed to make enough of an impact when it came to the destruction of the town.

After a moment, a car drove through. In it was a very familiar figure to her, Johann Schmidt, the head of HYDRA. He had been here. This changed everything. Clearly whatever the town had was important enough for him to be present.

They were too late. Hopefully they would at least be able to figure out what they took. If not, she wasn't sure where they were supposed to go from there.

* * *

The town was destroyed. Buildings were damaged beyond repair. Dead bodies were scattered throughout the main drag of the town. Nothing had survived at all. The air was still thick with smoke from all the discharged ammunition. Just looking at everything caused Béatrice to shudder. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She had seen the Nazi's destruction first hand throughout various missions, but this was something she had never seen before.

This wasn't destruction. This was annihilation.

"I've never seen weapon damage this severe" Alexander commented looking around the town. "Have you?"

Béatrice took a few small steps and looked around the town. It was unreal. She knew the Nazi's were capable or horrendous acts, but this was entirely new. HYDRA was not like the Nazi's. They were much worse and more dangerous. If this was just a small taste of what they could do, she didn't even want to think about what else they were capable of.

"What the hell is HYDRA?" she breathed, her voice barely a whisper.

"Captain! Agent Faust" the pair turned to see one of the soldiers from their team running towards them. "Sir. Ma'am. The church is up ahead and there's a survivor. You need to come quickly."

Without any hesitation the pair quickly ran behind the solider and headed to the town's church. As the two approached closer and closer, Béatrice frowned at the site. The front of the church where the doors were did not exist. In its place was a rather large hole. Again, she was struck by the magnitude of weapons that HYDRA possessed. Sure they were part of the Nazi's, but it was almost as though HYDRA was much more powerful.

Without any hesitation the pair quickly followed the soldier towards the town's church. As they approached the church Beatrice's frown grew. The entire façade of the church was destroyed leaving only a gaping hole. Once again she was struck by the shear magnitude and destructive capability of the weapons that HYDRA possessed. They existed as a part of Hitler's Nazi regime but somehow they had become so much more powerful.

The soldier led them through the damage and into the church. Two other members of the team were surrounding someone on the floor.

"He's still alive, but barely. I'm not sure how much longer he'll last" the soldier turned to Alexander. As the blonde walked over to the wounded citizen, she stopped, noticing an intricate carving on one of the walls.

It was of a tree. Putting her hands into her pockets, she walked closer to it, admiring the detail of the carving. The carving of the bark ran down the wall and turned into snakes in some areas. Leaves engulfed the top of it. It was like nothing that she had ever seen before. It was quite beautiful.

"It was hidden there" she heard someone gasp out, causing her to turn. She frowned and walked over to the wounded citizen. His head was bleeding profusely and his breathing was broken and weak.

"What was hidden in there?" she asked gently kneeling down beside him.

"They…they took it" the man said weakly, his eyes fluttering open and close. "It's gone. They….they have it…."

"What did they take?" Alexander asked in response.

The man's breath hitched once more. It was clear his time on this Earth was slowly coming to an end. His strength was fading fast. "Something…..something that will destroy us all" he barely gasped out. With that his eyes shut and his breathing stopped.

Both Alexander and Béatrice looked at one another. They didn't know what HYDRA had taken from the church, but whatever it was, it was something that they were willing to decimate an entire city for.

 **There you have it! Thank you for all the reviews and the feedback. Big thanks as always to inperfection, who has literally become my life saver and an awesome beta. You rock darling and I appreciate you so so much! Next chapter will hopefully be up in a few days and we're getting more into TFA material. It's going to be good, so you won't want to miss it.**

 **Guest Review Replies:**

 **Love:**

 **Thank you as always for the review. Like I've said before, Evelyn is one of my favorites to write. She'll be making an appearance….well in letter form soon and she will not lose any spunk in that I assure you. Especially when it comes to the topic of Bucky. She has no filter. Thanks for the kind words as always darling!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize.**

 _Tønsberg, Norway_

The smell of burning flesh was lingering in the air. She had gotten used to it by now, but only a few hours ago it was still making her sick.

Instead of leaving immediately after their failed mission, they stayed to clean up the remints of the town. It was decided that the dead bodies should be burned. There were too many of them and it felt wrong to simply put them all in unmarked graves. Alexander, herself, and the rest of the team spent several hours building a funeral pyre and burning the bodies a few at a time. After a while, Béatrice couldn't stand the sight of another body and Alexander told her to go rest as she looked like she needed it according to him.

As a result, she had decided to take her mind off of her present conditions by writing a letter to Bucky.

 _Dear Bucky,_

 _I'm in Norway right now, I'm perfectly safe. Our mission didn't go as planned. As it turned out by the time we arrived, we were already too late. The town we were sent to was destroyed and the item we were sent for was gone._

 _Growing up under Hitler's reign I had seen my fair share of destruction and devastation first hand. I saw my entire country turn against the Jews. I saw the Nazi's invade other countries and take over. But tonight, I have seen things that I never thought would be possible. The entire town was decimated. There were no survivors. Those who lived here were left in the streets to rot._

 _This truly is the work of monsters. I fear that this is only the beginning. A small taste of what's to come. I fear what else the Nazi's are going to be able to do. They are getting stronger._

"Writing to Barnes?"

She looked up and saw Alexander sitting down beside her. He looked exhausted, defeated, and as ready to leave as she was. She nodded her head silently and the two fell into a comfortable silence. She re-read what she had already written as she contemplated what else to say to Bucky.

"Can I ask you a somewhat personal question?" Alexander asked causing her head to snap up from the letter.

Béatrice gave him a look of disbelief. "After everything we've been through, surely by now you know nothing is too personal between us."

He titled his head and nodded in agreement. After another beat of silence, he looked around. "Do you believe in God?" he asked.

She stayed quiet for a moment as she contemplated her answer. It wasn't what she was expecting to be asked, but in a way she had a feeling she knew why he was asking it. "I did at one point, but I'm not so sure anymore. If God is all mighty and powerful as many religions say, then why is he letting acts such as this occur?"

"I've been asking myself the same question recently" he spoke looking around before turning his attention back to her. "I'm not sure if I ever told you this, but my father was in the first war like yours was. When I was a kid, he'd tell me stories about how that war was supposed to be the war that ended all wars. Once it was won, it was thought that we would never go to war again. How wrong everyone was. How could people believe that? Will they say the same about this war? What are we supposed to believe anymore?"

The brunette pursed her lips together tightly. She wasn't sure how to answer that. Would any answer she came up with suffice at all? She didn't think so, but what she thought of next would hopefully be good enough. "I think we just need to believe" she finally spoke. "That there's always going to be good in this world. That there are still good people and hope. Bad things are going to happen and I guess the sooner we realize that, the sooner we'll stop asking ourselves why someone like God is letting all of this shit happen."

Alexander gave her a small smile. He then stood up, probably to go attend to the rest of the clean-up effort. "Get some rest, we'll be leaving in a few hours for home."

Nodding her head, she returned a smile and watched him leave. Her eyes flicked back down to the letter. Placing the pencil back on the page, she began to write.

 _Alexander asked me if I believed in God today. I used to, but after everything that I have witnessed, how can someone like God allow this to happen?_

 _The reality of this war is finally starting to sink in I think. I had been living in the middle of it even before it started, but after seeing what people are truly capable of, it's hard to believe in anything. As silly as it sounds, I think the only thing I really believe in is just the act of believing. Believing that people will do the right thing and also believing in hope. Belief can be a powerful thing. I believe that we'll win the war. I believe that I'll be able to get my family out safely. I believe that we'll see each other again._

 _I miss you. I wish you were here._

 _B_ _é_ _atrice_

* * *

Peggy sat at her desk going through files. She sighed heavily and once again looked at her watch for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. Béatrice and Alexander were due back any moment from Norway. They had managed to get word to her that their mission had failed. HYDRA had gotten to the village sooner than what they had originally anticipated. It was a massive blow to the S.S.R. especially since they had absolutely no idea what it was that HYDRA had taken. Still, the British agent was thankful that her friends were alive and had managed to make it out with no problems.

She looked up and saw Private Lorraine heading towards Béatrice's desk, causing her to frown. "Private Lorraine" she called out causing the blonde to look over at her. "What do you have there?"

"Just a letter for Agent Faust" the blonde replied simply.

"From Germany?" Peggy asked wondering if it was another letter from her father.

Lorraine looked down at the envelope and shook her head. "No it's another letter from Brooklyn."

"Another letter?" the brunette asked in disbelief. "How many does she have?"

The blonde looked up and silently nodded her head, counting to herself. "I think this is the sixth since she and Captain McPherson left for her mission."

Six? Six letters from Brooklyn? Something was going on. She had her suspicions about Alexander and Béatrice's story about a surprise for Evelyn, but it continued to grow. It seemed odd that she would be receiving this many letters at one time from a jeweler of all people. Getting up from her chair, she reached out her hand. "Here I'll take it. I'm headed that way anyway."

Lorraine nodded and handed the letter to the brunette before turning to go do something else. Peggy then walked over to Béatrice's desk and saw the small pile of letters that was steadily growing. She picked up the other envelopes and looked at them closely. There was more to this story and she was determined to find out what it was exactly. It was unlike Béatrice to keep secrets. But if she did have them, there was one person who she would tell before anyone else.

"Peggy, we're back!"

Looking up, she saw both Alexander and Béatrice walking towards her. She eyed them closely and licked her lips. Now was her chance.

"Hello Peggy, how are things?" Béatrice smiled at her approaching her desk.

Peggy raised an eyebrow and dropped the stack of letters on the desk. Color left her friends face completely and their eyes both went wide. "You've been keeping secrets. Come on. Tell me. Who is he?"

"It's just the jeweler from Brooklyn" Alexander protested. "The present for…."

"Evelyn? I'm not dumb Alexander. You can't fool me" Peggy snapped at the two of them. "You've been getting far too many letters Béatrice, which only means one thing. You met someone and by the look on your face when I assumed it was a man, I was right."

Béatrice avoided eye contact with her, as did Alexander. The two stayed completely silent.

"So this is how we're going to do this then?" her lip twitched to the side. "Fine." She walked over and gripped Alexander by the necktie harshly, causing him to let out a small yelp. "Now I know you of all people know, so come on spill. Don't be shy darling."

"You can't make me," Alexander protested shaking his head back and forth. "I would never betray my friendship with Béatrice. You won't get it out of me."

Peggy gave him a smirk. "Remember that time in Coventry where you…."

"Barnes!" Alexander nearly screeched out. "James Barnes, that's his name. She calls him Bucky. He was training at Camp McCoy when were there. He's from Brooklyn. Tall, handsome, wouldn't leave her alone until she finally gave in. They became friends. He found out about what she did when Phillips came to visit us. He was upset. She called him out. He made it up to her. She would spend every night with him. When we had to leave, she gave him her Paris address to write to her. That's who all the letters are from." Peggy's eyebrows raised and she looked over at Béatrice, who had her head down. She looked back over at Alexander and let him go. He glared at her. "You said you would never use Coventry against me."

"I lied" Peggy replied simply before turning her attention back to Béatrice."You know how dangerous that is? What were you thinking? You could have comprised everything you've worked so hard for!"

"Oh he won't tell a soul. He's madly in love with her. He'd rather die than go blabbing about her work" Alexander suddenly interjected.

Both Béatrice and Peggy gave him a glare. "Go do something."

"I don't have anything to…."

"Then go find something" Peggy snapped angrily. The blonde let out a sigh and looked between the two women, focusing on Béatrice in particular. He hoped he hadn't messed things up for her further. He nodded his head and turned to go find something to do as Peggy instructed.

Béatrice looked up at Peggy and crossed her arms. The British agent sat down at the chair at the desk and ran a hand through her hair. "So are you going to explain yourself?"

"Alexander really said everything that needed to be said" the German replied simply.

"I know, but I want to hear your side of it" Peggy told her.

The German swallowed hard and nodded her head. "His name is James Barnes, goes by Bucky though. He…." She stopped and sighed. "He's the first person I've met outside of the S.S.R. who didn't see me as the sad little German girl working with the Americans just to get her family out. He's kind and caring, but someone I would never have normally associated myself with. He changed my mind, my perspective. I've grown to care about him. It's silly and stupid, I know. I shouldn't be worried about such things. I even told him to move on with his life. We've been writing to each other frequently. It's become something to hold on to while I wait to go back to Germany."

Peggy titled her head at her and leaned back into her seat. "And he knows everything?"

Béatrice nodded her head. "He won't tell anyone though. He understands how dangerous it is. He's always been worried about my safety." She paused for a moment and bit her lip. "Are you going to tell Phillips?"

Peggy stayed silent for a moment. She started to strum her fingers on top of the desk. "No. Actually, I won't tell anyone" she finally said after what felt forever. "Your secret admirer will stay secret with me."

Béatrice felt relief wash over her. "Thank you Peggy" she gave her a small smile.

"But from now on I'll be the one handling letters. Lorraine was much too easy to get information out of" Peggy told her pointedly.

The German nodded her head. "Deal."

The British agent stood up to allow Beatrice to sit at her desk. "Unfortunately, I'm not sure how much time you're going to have with those letters. We're sending both you and Alexander to Poland for an extraction. There's a Dr. Amir Bamberger, who is a brilliant weapons specialist. We've just started a government contract with Howard Stark of Stark Industries and Stark raved about him. He's been in hiding for the past year and a half because he's Jewish. Our intelligence found out who's hiding him and we have already arranged a drop. I'll bring you the file."

Béatrice felt a wave a disappointment. She already had a new mission, but again it wasn't to Germany.

Peggy pursed her lips together and could clearly see something was troubling her friend. "I know this wasn't what you were hoping for. I've been hearing whispers though. Phillips is working to begin the extraction of your family. I'm sure it won't be long now."

The German gave her a silent nod and Peggy turned to go find the file. She sat back in her chair and looked at the stack of letters on her desk. She smiled softly and shook her head. Peggy knew now, but would keep her secret. That was nice, but she knew she would have to start being more careful.

She pulled the stack over to her and grabbed the ones that were postmarked the latest and began to read through them.

Bucky's letters were the same. He had been spending more time with Steve, who was still extremely concerned about his behavior, but Bucky had managed to keep quiet about what was troubling him. She wondered if he would even tell her. She had to admit, he seemed off at times, but never once did he explain his reasoning for everything. He had sworn off dating for the time being and as a result, he and Steve had been to places like the cinema or taken day trips out of the city.

It was the more recent letter that really got her attention though.

 _Hi sweetheart,_

 _Hope you're doing okay. I figured you're either still in Norway or on your way back. You might even be back. Whatever it is, I hope you're safe and that your mission was successful._

 _I'm starting to get anxious for my orders. Every day I wonder if today will be the day when I receive them. I know the Army said it may take a while, but the sooner I can get out of here, the more useful I'll feel. But also the greater chance we'll have to see each other again._

 _Steve's doing well... as well as he can be that is. He's still trying to find ways to enlist. I'm not sure why he keeps bothering. He could be just as useful in Brooklyn as he could on a battlefield. I'm not sure what he's trying to prove. I can't imagine what he'll do once I'm gone._

 _I went on a date the other day. First one where it actually went well, her name is Connie. We went dancing and by the end of it, I felt as though I had a good night. We'll be going on another date in a few days. I guess you were right; I wasn't looking in the right places. She has a friend, so hopefully Steve will be able to have a nice night out as well._

 _I hope to hear from you soon._

 _Bucky_

She pursed her lips together as she re-read the line about his date. Her heart hurt just reading that it went well. Maybe this was the type of relationship they were destined to have. It was just going to be a close friendship that could have been something.

* * *

 _Brooklyn, New York_

Bucky sat alone in his apartment, looking down at the letter in his hand. He had received not one, but two letters from Béatrice. It was a surprise to him, but one that he welcomed greatly.

 _Dear Bucky,_

 _I'm in Norway right now, I'm perfectly safe. Our mission didn't go as planned. As it turned out by the time we arrived, we were already too late. The town we were sent to was destroyed and the item we were sent for was gone._

 _Growing up under Hitler's reign, I had seen my fair share of destruction and devastation first hand. I saw my entire country turn against the Jews. I saw the Nazi's invade other countries and take over. But tonight, I have seen things that I never thought would be possible. The entire town was decimated. There were no survivors. Those who lived here were left in the streets to rot._

 _This truly is the work of monsters. I fear that this is only the beginning. A small taste of what's to come. I fear what else the Nazi's are going to be able to do. They are getting stronger._

 _Alexander asked me if I believed in God today. I used to, but after everything that I have witnessed, how can someone like God allow this to happen?_

 _The reality of this war is finally starting to sink in I think. I had been living in the middle of it even before it started, but after seeing what people are truly capable of, it's hard to believe in anything. As silly as it sounds, I think the only thing I really believe in is just the act of believing. Believing that people will do the right thing and also believing in hope. Belief can be a powerful thing. I believe that we'll win the war. I believe that I'll be able to get my family out safely. I believe that we'll see each other again._

 _I miss you. I wish you were here._

 _B_ _é_ _atrice_

Setting the letter down, he picked up the second envelope and quickly opened it to read its contents.

 _Dear Bucky,_

 _I'm back in London, but not for long. They're sending me to Poland along with Alexander to get someone out of the country. I guess I'm back to my normal missions now. I've been told preparations are starting to be made to get me back into Germany for my family, but we'll see if that actually becomes a reality._

 _I'm sorry that your orders haven't come yet. I'm sure they will any day now. As for Steve, he'll be okay. If he really wants to serve his country, he'll find the best way that he can. Maybe it's just best to let him figure it out how on his own._

 _I'm glad to hear that your date went well with Connie. I'm sure she's a lovely girl if she's getting another date with you. I wish you the best with her. I hope she makes you happy, but I'm sure she is if you're dating her. I'm sure she'll be disappointed once you get orders and will miss you._

 _I'm sorry that this letter is so short, but I wanted to get something to you before I left tonight._

 _Hope you're well._

 _B_ _é_ _atrice_

He let out a deep sigh. The second letter was shorter than what he had hoped. He also wasn't sure what to make of the paragraph about Connie. He had been on a few dates with her by now and while she was nice, he couldn't see it being anything too serious. But Béatrice made it seem like she thought it would be. He was an idiot, a total idiot. He had the opportunity to tell her how he felt. Hell, he even wrote it a few times, but the paper would only get crumpled soon after.

He didn't want to tell her like that. He wanted it to be in person. Now it seemed like he'd never get the chance to. He blew it. Maybe by now she had already met someone. Moved on from him fully. He groaned loudly and ran a hand through his hair. He was such a fool.

Hearing a sudden knock on the door, he set the letters on the couch and got up. Walking to the door, he opened it and saw a man in uniform.

"Are you James Buchanan Barnes?" the man asked him.

"Yes sir" Bucky nodded at him.

The man handed him an envelope. "Congratulations. Your orders have come in and you have been promoted to Sergeant."

Wide-eyed Bucky took the envelope from him and nodded. "Thank you sir." The military officer nodded in return and turned to leave.

He closed the door and leaned against it. It had happened. He was finally leaving. Nearly ripping open the envelope, he quickly looked over where he would be going and when. He felt his heart stop at what it said. Tomorrow. He was leaving for London, England tomorrow. He couldn't believe how sudden it was. He'd have to tell Steve goodbye. Write to Béatrice. His heart leapt at the thought of her name.

She was in London on and off. Maybe she'd be there. Maybe he'd get to see her. He smiled at the thought of it. Maybe he hadn't blown his chance after all.

* * *

 _Lodz, Poland_

The city streets of Lodz were filled with people. Many were busy walking to and from their places of business, shopping, or meeting with friends. It seemed as though it would be an ordinary day, but for those currently walking through the city center, things were about to get more interesting.

Béatrice felt nearly out of breath as she ran through the center. However, no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't stop. She looked behind her as she continued to run and saw the three Nazi soldier's running after her.

"Halt!" one of the soldiers screamed after her.

Running through the crowds of people, she pushed her way through as many of them as she could.

"Halt Halt!" she continued to hear from behind her. She quickly darted to a nearby alley and ran as fast as she could down the road. She then turned and hid behind one of the walls of the alley. Trying to catch her breath as best she could, she peaked from behind and saw the soldiers running past. She breathed a sigh of relief. She had narrowly escaped, but now it was time to find Alexander and Dr. Bamberger.

Out of nowhere, she felt something grab her from behind and cover her mouth, causing a muffled scream to emerge from her mouth. She was turned around and came face to face with Alexander. Beside him stood a tall, skinny man with dark hair. The man she had come to known as Dr. Bamberger.

"Mein Gott!" she exclaimed breathing heavily.

"Sorry" Alexander told her quickly. He grabbed her hand. "This way!" He led her and the doctor down the alleyway further until they reached an empty street. The three of them began to walk down the street, continuously looking at their surroundings to make sure no one was following them.

"Do your missions usually involve a lot of running and hiding?" Bamberger suddenly asked.

The pair looked at him and shook their heads. "I don't understand what happened" Alexander looked at his friend. "We took precautions like we always do. It was almost as though they were waiting for us."

"I would say someone has been looking out for Bamberger" Béatrice suggested. "Just because he's Jewish, I wouldn't put it past the Nazi's to get the information they needed from him before they killed him."

"That is comforting" she heard the doctor mutter under his breath. They then began to turn onto another street, when she stopped dead in her tracks. She gasped and pulled the both the doctor and Alexander back behind the side of a building. She felt her heart stop.

"Béatrice? What is it?" Alexander asked, his voice raising with concern.

"It's Christoph," she breathed in shock, peaking around the wall.

Alexander looked at her and peaked around the building. From a distance, he could see a group of soldiers. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but a solider on the fair left sure enough looked exactly like Christoph Faust. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"I think I would recognize my own brother" she huffed in response, peaking over again.

"What the hell is he doing here?" the blonde asked moving behind her to look over her shoulder.

Béatrice shook her head. "Hitler or someone must have sent him here for something. I know he's been traveling on and off, but I didn't realize he was now going out of Germany."

"Your brother is a Nazi?" Bamberger interjected.

The brunette turned to him and shrugged, getting a wide-eyed response from Bamberger. "My family is a bit…. well…complicated when it comes to the government at the moment. My father's secretly working against the Nazi's, my brother's a Nazi and I'm a spy. We're split down the middle really." She then turned back to look at Christoph. He looked well. He was talking and laughing in German with who she assumed were colleagues. She wondered why he had been sent here and found it strange that he had been here on the exact same day she was.

She hadn't heard from her father recently. Maybe this was why. She now hoped she had a letter waiting for her when she got back. If not, perhaps she needed to write to him.

"Béatrice we need to go before someone sees us" she heard Alexander say from behind. Reluctantly, she nodded her head. She wished there was a way to make her brother see the truth. To turn him against the Nazi's and the government, but her father was right. Her brother was gone, but she still believed that there was a chance that he could come back.

* * *

 _Brooklyn, New York_

It felt strange being in full dress uniform as he walked down the streets of Brooklyn. It seemed surreal to Bucky that he had finally gotten his orders and that he only had a few hours left in the place that he called home. At least he would now be able to serve his country and try to make a difference. The prospect of seeing Béatrice again also sweetened the deal considerably. He had made sure to mail a letter to her, letting her know that he would be heading to Europe soon. He hoped that he would be able to see her again and finally be able to tell her how he felt.

But first, he had to get through his last night in Brooklyn. He had secured a double date between him and Connie and one of her friends. He hoped this one would work out for him. Connie seemed like a nice enough girl who might have a nice friend.

Steve had been spending a lot of time at the movie theater, so that was where Bucky went to look for him. However, as he was walking past one of the alleyways he heard a commotion. Stopping he saw someone beating up someone smaller in the corner of the alley. It only took a second to register. The smaller man was Steve.

Bucky shook his head and marched over to the guy who was beating up his best friend and grabbed him. "Hey, pick on someone your own size" he yelled pulling him back to face him. The man tried to punch Bucky, but he quickly dodged it before he was able to get a window of opportunity to punch him and then kick him out of the alleyway. He turned back to Steve who was slowly getting up off the ground.

"Sometimes I think you like getting punched" Bucky sighed heavily, walking over to his friend. He stopped and bent over to grab a piece of paper that was on the ground. He already knew what it was before he opened it. It was another enlistment form.

"I had him on the ropes" Steve told him starting to brush himself off.

Bucky rolled his eyes slightly and opened the enlistment form. "How many times is this?" he asked looking it over. Once again Steve had been rejected. "Oh, you're from Paramus now. You know it's illegal to lie on your enlistment form. And seriously, Jersey?"

Steve continued to brush himself off and suddenly looked up. His eyes went wide at the sight of his best friend in uniform. "You get your orders?" he asked.

Bucky looked at him and stayed silent for a moment. "The 107th. Sergeant James Barnes. Shipping out for England first thing tomorrow."

Steve stayed quiet, but let out a small huff, shaking his head. "I should be going."

Bucky took a deep breath. He knew Steve was disappointed. His face said it all. He felt a little guilty again of the fact that he would be leaving his best friend on his own, but the least he could do was try to help him enjoy their last night together. He gave him a small smile and put his arm around him pulling him close. Come on, man. My last night" he said leading him out of the alley. He lifted his arm up. "Gotta get you cleaned off."

"Why, where we going?" Steve asked him.

Bucky offered him a newspaper in his hand while throwing the rejected enlistment form on the ground. "The future."

Steve looked down at the newspaper. There was an advertisement for the World Exposition on it. It became clear that was where they were going for the night.

* * *

"I don't see what the problem is" Bucky announced as they walked through the exposition. "You're about to be the last eligible man in New York. You know there's three and a half million women here."

"Well, I'd settle for just one" Steve replied.

Bucky's lips soon formed into a large grin and he waved at something in the distance. "Good thing I took care of that."

Steve frowned and looked up and saw that they were walking towards two women, one of whom he recognized as Connie. The second he didn't recognize, but he already knew what it meant. He was going on another double date. He was not looking forward to this at all.

"Hey, Bucky!" Connie called out waving back to him happily

"What'd you tell her about me?" Steve asked his friend

"Only the good stuff" Bucky smirked looking over at his friend.

"So I see you're finally out of that bad date pattern you were in" Steve commented as they approached the pair of girls. "You seem more like yourself too."

Bucky only shrugged at him. He guessed he had been playing his part better than when he came back from training. "Basic just took a lot out of me and I guess I just was picking some bad dames. I told you I was fine."

"One day maybe I'll actually believe that" Steve rolled his eyes.

* * *

Connie and Bucky walked hand in hand throughout the fair, while her friend barely paid any attention to Steve whatsoever. Bucky mentally yelled at himself for putting his friend through this once again, but he found himself thinking about what Béatrice had once told him. About how the way Steve was being treated was a reflection of the woman and not him. He smiled slightly thinking about the night she told him that.

The group stopped walking around and heard a loud applause from a large crowd.

"Oh my god. It's starting" Connie giggled pulling her friend along with Bucky over to the crowd of people. She pushed her way through the people until she found a spot and stopped to watch the show.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Howard Stark" a female announced. A group of women decked out in top hats and costumes were lined up in front of a car. A man in a suit and top hat appeared from the side of the stage as the audience cheered. This was Howard Stark. He took off his hat and handed it to one of the women on stage before he pulled her close and gave her a kiss.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. What if I told you that in just a few short years, your automobile won't even have to touch the ground, at all" Stark asked the audience receiving gasps in return. There was some shuffling on stage as the women began to take the tires off of the car and a control panel was rolled over to Stark. "Yes. Thanks, Mandy. With Starks Gravitic Reversion Technology. You'll be able to do just that."

Stark turned a dial on the control panel that started a mechanical hum. The hum got louder and louder. Soon the car suddenly lifted itself off of the ground and into the air, seemingly floating on its own.

"Holy cow" Bucky commented his eyes going slightly wide.

However, after what seemed to be a successful experiment, sparks suddenly appeared where the tires should have been. The car soon came tumbling down onto the stage.

"Well I did say a few years, didn't I?" Stark said chuckling and trying to keep a smile on his face as the best he could.

Buck smirked and began to turn around to his friend. "Hey, Steve. What do you say we treat these girls...?" he stopped mid-sentence when he saw that Steve was nowhere in sight. Bucky sighed to himself. There was only place that his friend would be.

It turned out he was right. Steve was exactly where Bucky thought he would be. His friend once again had found himself at the recruitment center. Steve was over in front of a projection of a group of shoulders where if someone stood on a stand in front of it, their head would be on one of the pictures.

Bucky walked over to him. "Come on, kind of missing the point of a double date" he said nudging his friend from behind. "We're taking the girls dancing."

"You go ahead. I'll catch up with you" Steve told him in response.

Bucky looked at his friend in disbelief. He knew exactly what Steve was planning on doing. "You really going to do this again?"

Steve shrugged his shoulders. "Well it's a fair, I'm going to try my luck."

"As who, Steve from Ohio? They'll catch you or worse they'll actually take you" Bucky shot back.

"Look I know you don't think I can do this…" Steve began.

"This isn't a back alley, Steve, it's war" Bucky exclaimed in response.

"I know it's a war" Steve sighed heavily.

Bucky shook his head slightly. "Why are you so keen to fight? There are so many important jobs" he asked.

"What do you want me to do? Collect scrap metal in my little red wagon" Steve huffed at him.

"Yes, why not?" Bucky nodded his head.

"I'm not going to sit in a factory, Bucky" Steve told him. He saw his friend about ready to protest once more, but the blonde shook his head. "Bucky come on, there are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them. That's what you don't understand. This isn't about me."

"Right. Cause you got nothing to prove" Bucky said staring right at him.

"Hey Sarge! Are we going dancing?" the two of them suddenly heard Connie call out.

Bucky turned around and smiled at her. "Yes we are." He turned back to his friend and just stared at him silently. There was really nothing else he could do. There was no stopping Steve. He contemplated for a moment just telling him what he knew about the war personally. He could have told him every about the German girl he met who was spying on the Germans for them. How she had seen the horrors that were truly going on overseas. But he didn't. He didn't want to risk Béatrice's safety. He didn't know who could be listening. Bucky licked his lips and began to back away from his friend. "Don't do anything stupid until I get back" he told him.

"How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you" Steve shot back.

Bucky stopped in his tracks and just shook his head. He walked back over to his friend and put his arms around him. "You're a punk."

"Jerk" Steve told him as he pulled away. "Be careful."

Bucky nodded and turned to walk back over to Connie and her friend.

"Don't win the war 'til I get there" he heard Steve call out.

Bucky turned around once more and saluted his friend. With that he turned back around for the final time going over. "Come on girls, they're playing our song" he told them smiling.

Steve watched as his friend walked away with Connie and her friend. He knew his friend didn't agree with what he was about to do, but he felt that he had to. He wanted to fight more than anything and nothing was going to stop him. There had to be a way. Unbeknownst to him, a certain German doctor had heard the entire conversation.

* * *

Bucky kept his promise to take Connie dancing that night.

He felt guilty for leaving Steve on his own, but obviously Connie's friend wasn't interested in having anything to do with him. She had found someone else at the club and seemed to be enjoying herself. He himself wasn't truly sure if he was enjoying himself or not. Every second that he felt like he was, his head put an image of Béatrice in his head. What was he doing here, he wondered continuously. Why was he forcing himself to move on from her if he knew he didn't want to? It wasn't fair to him and it surely wasn't fair to Connie at all. He kept up an invisible wall when he was around her. He didn't think she noticed and he thought he played the part well.

Unbeknownst to him, Connie could see right through the act. She was smart like that. She liked Bucky. Really she did, but she couldn't help but notice that something was off with him whenever they went out. He always seemed to be elsewhere despite being physically with her at any given time. She had her suspicions as to the cause of everything. She never voiced it as she didn't want to come off as being desperate and needy, but tonight something caused her to finally speak up.

"So are you ever going to tell me who she is?" She tilted her head up at him as they continued to sway to the music.

He frowned at her in confusion, unsure as to what she was referring to in that moment. "Who?"

"The girl you're obviously hung up on silly" Connie let out a laugh.

Bucky frowned further and stopped moving. His face soon turned to a look of disbelief.

The brunette only rolled her eyes and huffed. "Oh don't give me that look. You know exactly what I'm talking about When you took me out to dinner last week and you gave me your coat while you called a cab, I saw a letter sticking out of your pocket. It was addressed to a girl."

He looked down at the ground. He felt even guiltier than he already had. He should have been more careful with holding onto his unsent letters to Béatrice. He knew Connie wouldn't tell anyone, but what if it hadn't been Connie?

"I'm not angry Bucky" she continued causing him to look up again. "Don't get me wrong, I've been having a great time with you and everything, but its just with everything that's been going on with the war and people either leaving or dying, I don't think I want anything serious right now. I just want to enjoy myself and that's why I said yes when you asked me out. I should have been more forward at first."

He gave her a small smile and breathed a sigh of relief. "You know most dames would have slapped me at this point. Wouldn't want me to have a wandering eye or anything."

"I'm not like most girls Bucky Barnes" Connie shot him a smirk. "I may act like I'm ditzy and all I care about is dating and dancing, but that's just one side of me. Like I told you, I just want to enjoy life right now. I like you, but you're getting ready to leave and everything. Timing's not right."

Bucky let out a huff and shook his head. "Now that's something I've heard before."

Connie looked at him curiously for a moment. "From her?" she asked. "Come on. Tell me about her. We can spend the rest of the night talking about her if you want. It's your last night here after all, so you decide how you want to spend it."

Bucky gave her a small smile. He was thankful for how understanding Connie was about the whole thing. She was definitely special, but it just wasn't meant to be between the two of them. "Well to be honest, the less you know the better. It's…. it's complicated in a way. I met her a while ago. I really only noticed her because she was different. I grew curious about her, but she really didn't want to have much to do with me. She didn't acknowledge any of my advances. I had to really work for her attention." Connie suddenly let out a laugh and he paused as his mind drifted back to his time at Camp McCoy.

"When she finally decided to talk to me, she wasn't like anyone I had ever met. She's driven, passionate, and really speaks her mind. Probably one of the bravest people I've ever met too. I started to care about her a lot. Feel things for her. I knew I shouldn't, but I couldn't help it. She awakened something in me, but time wasn't on our side" he said sighing heavily. "She had to leave and distance would be a problem. We write to one another frequently and she told me to live my life and not to wait for her….."

"But whatever you do, you still can't get her out of your head can you?" Connie interjected.

Bucky shook his head to her. "I've tried. Believe me I have."

"Sounds like you're really in love with this mysterious girl" she gave him a small smile.

Bucky blinked in confusion for a moment. It may have seemed as though he couldn't comprehend what Connie had just said to him, but he did. The reality was finally sinking in. Those words had been silently haunting him for a while now. But never had he dared to utter them out loud. Until now, "I am" he breathed. "I do love her."

Connie smiled and raised an eyebrow at him. "Then why on Earth are you here and not doing everything in your power to fight for her?" He stayed silent and just looked at her. Hearing another huff from the brunette, he rolled his eyes. "Don't you do that" she snapped at him. "If you love her, why don't you tell her? Is it because you're scared? Love is a scary thing, but it's always a beautiful thing. Are you worried that she doesn't feel the same? Just tell her how you feel. Show it. Make her feel as though she's the only girl in the world you want to be with. She could surprise you."

"It's a little too late for that" he shook his head in protest.

"It's never too late for anything when it comes to love" she replied.

Bucky looked at her once more, letting Connie's words sink in. Deep down he knew she was right. He silently cursed; he should have never agreed to continue to live his life. He should have fought harder. But hopefully soon, he could right that wrong.

* * *

 _London, England_

"Another happy homecoming" Alexander commented as he and Béatrice walked down the hallway of the S.S.R. headquarter. "You know as strange as it sounds this place can be a real sight for sore eyes after missions."

She chuckled and shook her head, looking over at him. "Are you sure you're not just saying that because we nearly got ourselves killed?"

The blonde shrugged in response. "Most likely, but maybe it's more of the fact that I know this place is safe and secure. You can't tell me that you're not worried you've been comprised after all of that."

Béatrice stopped in her tracks and glared at him. "Of course I'm worried. I'm always worried. I know that not many people know who I am, but there's always a chance someone could say something to someone I know. Ever since we got out of Poland, I have this feeling that something bad is going to happen. I can't shake it."

Alexander took a deep breath. He felt guilty for not thinking she would be worried. It was silly of him. There was never a moment where she wasn't worried about something or better yet someone, whether it would be him, Evelyn, Barnes, and most importantly her family. He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Everything's going to be alright. We've been lucky so far. Hopefully that won't change." He felt her nod her head against him and he pulled away. "Now how about we go have a drink somewhere?"

"I actually have some work that I need to do. I also want to see if I have a letter from my father. I haven't heard from him recently" she replied.

"You think everything is alright? That is unusual for him. We haven't heard anything since we got back from Norway" he frowned, concerned. "You don't think Christoph knew something, hence why he happened to be there?"

Béatrice shrugged her shoulders, unsure of how to answer his question. "I hope Christoph being there was nothing but a coincidence" she told him. "As for my family. My father always told me no news is good news. I'm sure if something was wrong, someone would have gotten word to me. He has people getting him information. Many of which I do not even know who they are. I need to stay positive. I'll give him another week and if I haven't heard anything, I'm requesting that I be sent back to Paris and then go to Berlin."

Alexander's face fell. "You can't be serious. You know how dangerous Berlin is right now. What about your decoy? You can't just put yourself back into Paris without raising suspicion."

"I know" she nodded her head in understanding. "But what other choice do I have Alexander?"

He sighed heavily and ran his hands through his hair. He knew she was right. "I just hope it doesn't come to that. You're too valuable, but you're also my best friend. I won't be able to handle it if something happened to you and surely both Evelyn and Barnes would kill me if it did."

"I've dealt with more dangerous missions" she told him quietly.

"True, but the missions where we are emotionally involved can be the most dangerous" he said putting a hand on her shoulder. "If you need anything, you know where to find me."

Béatrice nodded her head and watched as Alexander turned to walk down the hall in the opposite direction. She turned and walked down a little further, turning to the area where her desk was. As she approached it, she saw two envelopes on it. Her heartbeat increased and she silently prayed that one was from her father. However, a small wave of disappointment washed over her. One letter was from Evelyn and the other was from Bucky. She felt guilty by her feelings, but she was worried about her family. It had been a week and half since she had returned from Norway and she had hoped once she returned from Poland, there would have been a letter.

Evidently, something was causing her father to be unable to write. Despite it, she was still happy to have a letter from Bucky and of course from Evelyn. After all she did promise the redhead she would write. Grabbing Bucky's letter first, she opened the envelope and began to read.

 _Hi doll,_

 _I hope you're well. This will be a quick one. I wanted to let you know something. I got my orders today. Sergeant James Barnes of the 107_ _th_ _Infantry. I'm pretty excited that I finally got them. A little nervous, but mostly because I'll be leaving Steve on his own. I hope he doesn't do anything stupid while I'm gone._

 _How are things over there if you don't mind me asking? From the papers it seems like some days are better than others, but I really wonder if anyone truly understands what is happening over there. You're the only person I think who has any real idea._

 _I'll be shipping out to England tomorrow. We'll be in London for a few days once we get there. That's where you usually are when you're not on missions right? Maybe I'll get to see you, unless you're on a mission somewhere. I got your last letter saying you had gotten back from Norway, but then were heading to Poland. I hope it is going well or did go well, either way I hope your safe._

 _I'm going out tonight with Steve. One last hurrah before I leave. I'm taking Connie out again. She's actually really nice and I've been enjoying her company. In a way she reminds me of you. She's very open and honest. Laughs a lot, but at the same time you're both very different people. Haven't exactly figured out how to tell her I'm leaving, but really don't have much of a choice after tonight do I?_

 _I hope I get to see you when I'm over there. I think it's the only thing I'm really going to have to hang on to as I head out. Let me know where you'll be in the next few weeks and we can try and work something out. That is if you want to see me. For all I know, you may have met someone else or something. I don't want to ruin anything for you._

 _I'll send you my address when I get over there in the event I don't get to see you. Take care sweetheart._

 _Bucky_

She sighed heavily as she finished the letter. Her spirits were flattened even more than they already had been. First, he had gotten his orders and was coming to England. The letter was a few days old so there was a chance she probably missed him. They wouldn't get to see each other again. Time was still not her side. Second, he was taking out Connie again. It seemed serious now. He finally found a good date. She seemed nice enough, but the German couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Jealous. She wanted to smack herself at the thought of it. Why did she feel that way? She told him to live his life. What was she expecting? For him to just wait for her as she nearly got herself killed every other week? God, she was becoming her own worst enemy.

"Another letter from your boyfriend?" she heard someone say. Looking up she saw Peggy standing beside her desk with a file in her hand. "Welcome back and congratulations on another successful mission."

"Thanks" Béatrice muttered softly. "How were things?"

"The same" Peggy shrugged. "I'm leaving tomorrow for the States until further notice."

"Why?" the German frowned at her.

"Classified" Peggy told her raising her eyebrow. She saw her friend roll her eyes, but noticed her demeanor. She looked upset. "Are you alright? Have you heard from your father yet?"

Béatrice shook her head. "No I haven't, but I'm fine. I'm just tired."

The British agent looked at her unconvinced. "What did your boyfriend say?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with Peggy. You don't need to deal with my problems on top of everything else" Béatrice told her.

Peggy pursed her lips together and sighed. "I don't mind though. You're my friend after all. If something's bothering you, I can listen."

"I don't think it's really something I want to talk about right now. I'll deal with it after I get some rest. I promise, I'll be fine" Béatrice told her adamantly.

Peggy sighed again, deciding to give up. Whatever it was it was something her friend wasn't going to divulge so easily. Perhaps she needed time to wrap her head around something. "Well rest up as best you can, things are going to get a bit chaotic in London the next few days" she said turning to leave.

"Why is that?" Béatrice asked causing the British agent to stop and turn to her.

"The 107th Infantry is arriving in the next two days before they get shipped off to Italy. Streets will be filled with American soldiers."

She felt her heart stop. For a moment, she forgot to breathe. Did she hear what she thought she heard Peggy say? "Did you say the 107th?" the German asked shakily.

Peggy eyed her closely for a moment and licked her lips. She crossed her arms and sat on the edge of the desk. "I did" she gave her a small smile. "He's in the 107th isn't he? Your solider."

Béatrice looked down at her desk, avoiding eye contact with her friend. Soon, she slowly nodded her head. Reaching over to the letter, she slid it over to Peggy. She then picked it up, her eyes flicking over the written words. She couldn't believe it. She hadn't missed Bucky. He hadn't arrived yet. She was going to be able to see him before she left.

Peggy raised her eyebrows and flicked her eyes to the German. "I would say you're going to have an eventful few days." With that she put the letter back down on the desk, got up, and walked away.

The German felt her spirits rise as her mouth grew to a smile. She was going to see Bucky again. She wasn't dreaming. It was real. Maybe time was slowly moving on her side. Maybe there was still a chance. God, she hoped there was.

 **There you have it! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I have a sneaky suspicion a lot of you will be excited for the next one for obvious reasons. Thanks again for all the reviews, favorites, and alerts. Definitely keep them coming. It gives me a bit more motivation to write and I just love hearing what you guys think about the chapters or what you hope will happen!**

 **As always to my lovely beta inperfection, thank you darling for looking over this extremely long chapter and letting me talk out ideas. I can't even put into words how helpful you are to me!**

 **Also, if you want a sneak peek of the next chapter, keep any eye out on my Tumblr!**

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 **Love: Sometimes I can't help the adorableness when I write. There are sometimes where I just want to write all the fluff hahaha. Bucky's definitely starting to think more clearly, but he's going to continue to overthink things.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize.**

 **Song for Chapter:**

" **You Made Me Love You"- Judy Garland (Dancing)**

Béatrice put her hands on her face and then ran them through her hair. It couldn't be true. What she had just read wasn't real. It had taken a few weeks for her father to write to her. It was very unlike him and no matter how much she wrote to him, she never got a response. It should have been her first sign that something was wrong, but she tried to keep hoping for better news. However, today a letter finally came and in it, her worst fears were slowly being realized. Looking down at the letter, she re-read it to make sure that she was not dreaming at all.

 _B_ _é_ _atrice,_

 _I am sorry it has taken me this long to write. It hasn't been safe. Your brother has decided to spend an undeclared amount of time back at home, when he is not traveling. He's been making trips to Poland and Austria quite frequently. Why he is doing this I cannot say, but I know in my heart that whatever it is, it cannot be good._

 _He's been asking about you frequently as well. Wonders why you haven't written to him. He wants to know what you have been doing and who you have been seeing while you have been in Paris. He even considered paying you a surprise visit. Luckily I talked him out of it. He still continues to ask questions though. You may need to discuss paying us a visit with your superior officers. I am worried that if you do not, he will discover the truth. I do not even wish to think about what would happen if he were to find out._

 _I am under the impression that my message regarding Norway got to you too late or that the Americans were unable to stop HYDRA. Hitler was extremely pleased these past few weeks as they were able to recover something. He would not tell me what it was, but whatever it is, he seems to think that he has outsmarted the Americans._

 _I trust you're well. Everything you need is in the weather report as usual. Your mother and I miss you._

 _Your father_

She ran her fingers through her hair again. It was a nightmare. One that she wished she could desperately wake up from. Alas, it was not, this was reality. The new reality for herself and her family. It was becoming too dangerous for her family. With Christoph now seemingly watching their every move and asking questions, it was only a matter of time before he learned the truth.

She shuddered at the thought. What would the Nazi's do to her family? Would Christoph be willing to stand and watch as his family was brought before Hitler for treason. Was he that far gone with no hope of redemption? There had to be something she could do, but truth be told there wasn't. Despite months of begging and pleading she had been told continuously to be patient. Well now her patience had finally run thin and time was running out.

Béatrice was too caught up in running multiple scenarios through her head that she didn't even hear Alexander walk over to her desk and sit on the edge of it. "Hey, how about dinner?" he greeted caused her to nearly jump out of her chair.

The blonde let out a slight laugh. "Sorry" he told her sincerely. "Didn't meant to scare you."

"It's alright" she nodded at him. "I'm sorry, did you say something before?"

"Yes" he told her. "How about we go to dinner? It's been ages since we've done that." He was about to continue and suggest some places to go, but he stopped noticing that something was clearly wrong. On her face, she had a look of worry and concern. There was also a hint of fear in her eyes, which he rarely saw. "Is everything alright? You seem out of it."

The German bit her lip and took a deep breath. She slid the letter over to her friend. "It's a letter from my father."

Alexander frowned and picked it up. It had been a while since she had received a letter. He felt relieved that she finally had, but something told him what he was about to read would not be good news. Skimming the page, his face fell and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Looking up at her, he was at a loss for words. He understood now. "Listen to me" he told her gently. "We're going to figure this out I promise you. We will get through this."

She simply shook her head at him. "Alexander, we've been beyond that for months now. I can't keep sitting around and doing nothing. Something has to be done. My family is in even more danger now than before. If Christoph…." Béatrice paused and just shook her head. What else could she say that her friend hadn't already heard a million times. She had lost track of how many times the two of them had even had this conversation.

Alexander reached over and took her hand. "I know darling" he said softly, squeezing her hand. "It's been a never ending battle. I understand. Perhaps it's time we change our tactics then."

She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that perhaps I should go above Phillips head for this" he replied. "Talk to the generals. Maybe even have Evelyn consult with her father. Perhaps Senator Miller can give us the push we need. I promise you I will help you get your family out. Let me take care of it. Don't worry about a thing…..or try to worry less, I know how you are."

Béatrice cracked a small smile and nodded. "Thank you Alexander. For everything. You really don't have to do any of this."

He shrugged at her. "I don't, but it's the right thing to do. You've paid your dues to us time and time again. It's time for the Americans to repay the favor. I'll go get a quick letter sent to Evelyn immediately. Keep your chin up."

She kept silent as he got up off the desk and walked away to go write a letter to the infamous redhead she had the pleasure of calling a friend. Béatrice sat back down in her chair and let out another breath. Even though Alexander had promised to help her, she wasn't sure if he would be successful. They had been fighting this battle for over a year and they kept losing. She wasn't sure how much more disappointment she was going to be able to take.

Hearing loud laughter, she looked around, thoughts of her dilemma forgotten for a moment. Many of the female S.S.R. secretaries and agents were giggling with one another, seeming to be excited over something that was occurring. Many of them were running to get their coats and purses as well. The German raised an eyebrow in confusion as to what was happening.

Luckily for her, a certain blonde secretary, who never could keep her mouth shut regarding gossip, was walking around with a pile of files in hand.

"Lorraine" she called out.

The blonde looked up and smiled, walking over to the German's desk. "Agent Faust" she greeted with a smile.

"What's going on?" Béatrice motioned her head to all the giggling women.

Lorraine looked around at the sight of women and sighed. "The 107th is coming in. Many of the girls want to go greet them. However, some of us have work to do" she said almost bitterly.

The 107th? Béatrice's ears perked up at that. The 107th arriving meant only one thing to her. Bucky was coming. She looked up at Lorraine, trying to hide her excitement. It was difficult, but she was able to manage it. She nodded her head to the secretary and Lorraine shrugged, walking off to go do whatever work she had to.

The brunette opened the drawer to her desk and pulled out a small circular compact. Opening it, she looked in the mirror. She didn't look too much like a mess, but she ran her fingers through her frizzy curls in an attempt to tame them. After realizing that there was no winning that battle, she just gave up. This was as good as it was going to get. A grin slowly appeared on her face as she closed the compact. The excitement was brewing and she truly hoped she would get to see Bucky.

* * *

He was finally there. He had finally made it to London. Taking in his new surroundings, Bucky looked around as he made his way through the busy street along with the rest of the newly arrived soldiers. It finally was becoming real for him. He really was going to do this. He was going to fight in the war and serve his country. He was doing something worthwhile in his life.

However, there was something else that plagued his thoughts. The chance of seeing a familiar face. Béatrice Faust had already snuck her way into his head within seconds of stepping foot in the English city. He was slowly making it his mission to find her and see her again. That's what he wanted more than anything in that moment. Just to find her.

The problem was that he didn't even know where to begin to look for her. London was a big city. She could be anywhere and there was a chance that she wasn't even in the country. She could have been on a mission elsewhere for all he knew. If he had an unlimited amount of time, he would make sure he tracked her down.

But he didn't have an unlimited amount of time. He had only a few days at most, if even that. All the soldiers had been told to be prepared to ship out at a moment's notice, which meant that he could leave at any time. Time still wasn't on his side. It was almost as though it had made an enemy out of him. The universe was against him and Béatrice.

Taking a deep breath, Bucky started to walk towards where quarters had been set up for him and the rest of the incoming troops.

"You're out past curfew you know soldier" he suddenly heard someone say in an accented voice.

He stopped dead in his tracks, frowning, that phrase….he knew that phrase. More importantly, he knew that voice. He had to be hearing things though. There was no way. It was impossible. He had gotten his hopes up too much. Taking another deep breath, he turned himself around, preparing for nothing but disappointment.

However, the disappointment never came.

His eyes went wide and his mouth dropped at the sight before him and his breath hitched in complete and utter shock. Standing behind him was Béatrice. She stood before him with her hands in her pockets of her jacket, the wind blowing her curly dark hair in her face, and with a large smile on her face. He blinked twice just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The fact that once he stopped, she was still in front of him was proof of that.

"And here I thought you'd be happier to see me" Béatrice shot him a smirk. "Instead you're just standing there with your mouth wide open. That's not very polite."

He was sure he probably looked like an idiot with that stupid wide-toothed grin on his face, but in that moment he didn't care. All that mattered was that she was in front of him.

"Sweetheart" he finally managed to breath out heavily. He dropped his bag on the ground and began to briskly walk toward her. She mimicked his actions until they met in the middle of the street. She flung her arms around him and he picked her up and twirled her around, hold her tightly. She laughed as he spun them around before setting her back on the ground.

He didn't pull away from her immediately, instead her took the time to just stand there with her in his arms. He took a deep breath and smelled the familiar scent of lavender that he always loved. He then turned his head and pecked multiple kisses on her cheek. "You're here" he breathed when he finally was able to stop kissing her. Pulling away from her, he looked into her dark eyes and cupped her face with his hands, staring at her in complete and utter awe.

"I am here" the German nodded her head at him. She raised her hands and grasped his own that were still gently cupping her face. She squeezed them and gave him a small smile. He then removed his hands from her face, but gripped her own.

Bucky brought her hands up to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles and then brushed his cheek against them. He was smiling the whole time "Please don't tell me I'm dreaming. Tell me this is real" he muttered.

"I'm real, I promise. You're not dreaming" she giggled at him.

He shot her a smirk in response. God, how she missed that smirk of his. "Well if it is a dream, I never want to wake up" he said before he gave her knuckles another kiss. He then outstretched her arms and looked her up and down. "Let me look at you. You're a sight for sore eyes for sure sweetheart."

Béatrice wrinkled her forehead. "I'm a mess."

Bucky gripped her hands tighter. "No you're beautiful. You always are."

The brunette blushed at his comment. Her hands fiddled with his own, finally realizing that neither of them had let go of one another. That had to be a good sign right? However, she had to pull herself back into reality. He had been dating someone before he left. Was this cheating? Was she doing something that she should not have been doing? If it was wrong, then why did it feel so right to her.

"How long are you here for?" she heard him say, causing her to stop dwelling on her anxious thoughts.

"Until I'm given my next mission" she replied. "You?"

Bucky shrugged in response. "I've been told to be ready to leave anytime. Could be tomorrow, a week from now, or even a month." He then let go of her hands and reached into his jacket pocket. "Before I forget, these are for you." He pulled out four letters and held them out to her.

Béatrice blinked once and then let out a laugh. She reached into her own jacket pocket and pulled out a single envelope. Bucky's eyes lit up happily and started to laugh with her. The pair then took their respective letters from one another. They definitely seemed to be on the same page when it came to their correspondence.

The German looked down and counted the four letters again. She couldn't believe that he was still writing to her this much. For a moment, she even felt guilty. "You must be spending a fortune on me for paper and stamps" she shook her head, still looking down at the envelopes.

He stepped closer to her and ducked his head so he could look at her in the eyes. "You're worth it baby doll."

That didn't ease her mind at all. The comment and the pet name felt as though it turned her head to mush. The way he was looking at her was indescribable. He was smiling and his eyes kept flicking from her own to somewhere else. She sighed heavily. She really missed him. She truly did. "I feel bad. I only had one for you…." she looked up at him.

Bucky shook his head in protest. "Don't" he told her. "You're busy. I get that. You have more important things to do besides write to me. I'm just glad that you're still wanting to."

She gave him a small smile. "I've missed you" she breathed. She put her arms around his neck and looked up at him.

Bucky let out a sigh and pressed his forehead against her own. Being with her felt so right in this moment. It was effortless and soothing to him. He never wanted to let the woman in his arms go. The woman that he was in love with. "I missed you too doll. So much" he whispered. He pulled his head back slightly and his eyes flicked to her lips. This was his chance. Nothing would mess it up this time. He had been dreaming about this moment for so long. Slowly, he began to lean forward. She stood completely still, but let her eyes flutter shut almost as she knew what was about to happen.

"Oh there you are! I've been looking…oh"

The two pulled away from one another and looked over at their interruption. Béatrice let out an annoyed sigh and Bucky could have sworn he heard her mutter something in German and glare. Before them stood Alexander McPherson with an embarrassed look on his face, knowing full well he had just interrupted them….again.

He opened his mouth and looked at Béatrice in confusion. He then looked over at Bucky nonchalantly before he looked back over towards Béatrice. Something must have clicked in his mind because his eyes went wide and flew back over to Bucky. "B…Barnes?" he asked looking like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Bucky's brows furrowed and he shot Béatrice, who was still in his arms, a look of confusion. He didn't say anything, but his look definitely constituted the question of whether or not her friend was okay. His eyes drifted back over to McPherson, who still looked like he was about to pass out.

"Captain McPherson" he gave the superior officer a nod. "Good to see you."

Alexander blinked a few times. "Private…excuse me Sergeant Barnes as I've been told now. I…I didn't realize you would be here." He looked over at Béatrice with a pleading look that nearly screamed "Why didn't you tell me your soldier who you claim isn't your boyfriend, but acts like he's your boyfriend would be coming to London?"

"I wrote Béatrice about it almost a week ago. I figured she would have told you" Bucky shrugged slightly.

Alexander's face turned to a glare and he pursed his lips. "It must have slipped her mind."

Béatrice rolled her eyes and huffed loudly. "Is there something you needed Alexander?" she asked.

The blonde's eyes shot over to her and then back to Bucky's. He was aware he had interrupted something yet again. Béatrice would never let him hear the end of it and neither would Evelyn when he told her. However, he had enough sense to know that he was not wanted currently. "I was going to ask if you wanted to go to dinner, but I see you probably already have plans. I'll see you tomorrow." He gave Bucky one last look. "Good to see you Barnes. Welcome to Europe." With that he turned and with a pep in his step walked away from the pair.

Béatrice licked her lips and looked back over at Bucky. "I'm sorry about him. He has terrible timing."

Bucky gave her a smile. "It's fine" he shrugged. "So can I?"

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Can you what?"

He let out a huff and rolled his eyes playfully. "Take you to dinner?"

The brunette felt her heart stop. She had heard him. Clear as day, she had heard him. Bucky Barnes had just asked her to dinner. Instead of answering like a typical human being, her eyes went wide and her mouth slightly opened. What was happening to her? She never acted this way around a man before. Most importantly, what about Connie?

"If I recall, I do owe you a date that did include dinner" he chuckled staring at her frazzled state.

She bit her lip and sighed, debating whether or not she should ask the question that was searing through her mind. She pulled away from his grasp. "What about Connie?"

Bucky licked his lips and sighed. "Things didn't work out. We both came to the realization that we were better off friends. She was nice, but she wasn't looking for anything serious. It's not that I was looking for something serious..…I mean…." He stopped and took a deep breath, trying to get himself together. He was making himself look like an idiot and he was trying to play it cool, but obviously failing. "I knew what I wanted and she was fully supportive of it, so we decided to go our separate ways."

Béatrice nodded her head, truly unsure of what he meant. The only thing she did understand was that he and Connie were no longer seeing one another. "Oh" was the only thing she was able to manage to get out. She jumped slightly at the feeling of his hand grabbing hers. He stroked her hand with his thumb. The motion was oddly comforting to her.

"So if I remember correctly, I promised you Italian on this date. Know any good places around here?" he asked her.

Béatrice shot him a smile. "I know just the place actually."

* * *

Her stomach fluttered continuous as she led Bucky down the streets of London. The two of them had been chatting nonstop and it was as if they had not been apart at all. They fell back into their old routine and for Béatrice, it was perfect. His eyes lit up every time she spoke and he glanced over at her every chance he got to. She had missed him more than she realized.

Little did she know, he felt the exact same way. He felt whole again being around her. Her presence was filling a void that had been inside of him ever since they parted from one another. He had hope again that this would be their chance. He just wondered if their timing would be right this time.

She led him to a small Italian restaurant that she had come to know well, it was tucked in a small alley a few blocks from the S.S.R. headquarters. Bucky had been commenting on how London reminded him of Brooklyn in some ways, making her assume that he had already started to miss home a bit. Not that she blamed him. She understood completely. Coming to a new place was never an easy thing.

He opened the door to the restaurant for her, allowing her to walk in first and the moment she walked in, an older couple appeared and caused Bucky to jump slightly at the loud and excited yelling. The pair ran over to her and the wife hugged her tightly as well as gave her a kiss on each cheek. The husband spoke happily to her in Italian and kissed her on both cheeks as well.

Bucky noted how happy they seemed to see her. He figured that she came here often enough that they knew who she was. He heard them chat in briefly in Italian, which was something that he didn't think Béatrice spoke. She must have been learning it along with the Russian she was trying to teach herself.

The next thing he knew he was being led along with her to a small table in the corner of the restaurant. Before she sat down, Béatrice began to take off her coat.

"Here let me" he spoke starting to help her take off her coat. "I didn't think you spoke Italian."

Béatrice shook her head at him, looking up at him. "I'm not fluent in it. Just know some basic phrases. I think it's polite to greet those from different countries in their native languages. Sign of respect and all."

Bucky gave her a small smile as he fully took her coat off and put it on the back of her chair. He was impressed with her attitude towards being respectful of others. Again, it was a glimmer of hope that the world wasn't completely going to hell and that all Germans weren't bad people. She was his own personal light in the increasingly dark world.

Sitting down, the pair sat across from one another. They looked over the menu for a moment before ordering. Soon, they fell into a comfortable silence, though the silence was not present in Béatrice's head at all, there it was loud. She wasn't sure what to make of this "date", what to do, or even what to say.

Bucky on the other hand wondered if maybe this was the moment he just needed to lay his feelings out on the table. However, the possibility of rejection was clouding his judgement. She didn't protest to his use of the word date. Though she did ask about Connie, he did make things clear….somewhat. "So…" he suddenly spoke, his voice beginning to trail off. "How are _things_?"

Her ears perked up at his emphasis of things. She shot him a small smirk and shook her head.

"So you're referring to what I do as things now? Are you suddenly afraid of talking about it directly?"

Bucky swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, feeling a little embarrassed over how he referred to her very important work as something as general as things. He had forgotten how easily flustered she could make him. Smooth and suave Bucky had been left behind in Brooklyn. Now he was nervous and idiotic Bucky. "I….I didn't know if it was okay to say anything. Don't know who could be listening…." he replied shakily.

Béatrice mouth formed into a smile. "I'm just making fun of you" she let out a laugh. "I appreciate the concern, but you can talk about it. Giancarlo and Luciana, who own the place know all about it." She saw Bucky's frown in confusion causing her to let out another laugh. "They know because I'm the one who relocated them to London."

"Really?" he stared at her in amazement, his eyes flicking to the husband and wife in the kitchen talking to one another in Italian preparing their meals.

The German nodded her head. "Mhmm. It was one of my early missions after I joined up. They're Jewish, but Giancarlo was like my father. He's a brilliant mathematician. However, with Mussolini under Hitler's influence instead of being recruited, he was sentenced to death. But the S.S.R. got wind of it and felt that it was unjust. They felt that maybe he'd be useful to the Americans one day. So I got them and their daughter Ariana out safe and sound. Instead of using him, he was given money for a new life, he opened up this restaurant, and focused on another passion in life besides numbers."

Bucky noticed then a smile formed again on her lips and she raised her hand and wiggled her fingers at something behind him. Turning around, he saw a little girl who couldn't have been more than eight giggle and wave back at her before disappearing back into the kitchen. That must have been Ariana. "I think it's wonderful that you still have some relationships with the people you've helped" he said as he turned back to face her. "The fact that they're standing there is because of you. It's amazing."

"I try to keep up with everyone I've helped as much as I can, but with how busy I can be, it's difficult sometimes. Many of them have also moved to America, so it's even harder" the brunette replied looking back at him. "One would think it would be hard to remember all of my missions, but it's not. Everyone sticks out to me in some shape or form."

He gave her a small smile. "Like I said, what you do is amazing. You should be proud, I know I am."

Béatrice bit her lip and stayed quiet for a moment. "I think I'd take more pride in what I do once I finally get my family out" she said quietly.

Bucky shifted in his chair and leaned forward. "They still haven't given you any indication of when you'll be sent back, have you?"

"No" she said sadly, staring down at the table cloth. "No matter how much I push, nothing is done. Things are getting worse for my family. My father wrote to me saying that my brother has been visiting more often. Keeps asking questions about me and then in Poland…." She took a deep breath and paused for a moment.

Bucky looked at her with concern. He reached out and grabbed one of her hands and gently squeezed it. "What happened in Poland?" he whispered.

Béatrice took a deep breath and let out a sigh. Looking up at him, she opened her mouth to speak. "Christoph was in Poland. I saw him."

He felt his heart nearly drop and a sense of fear washed over him. He was sure it was written all over his face as well. "He didn't see you did he?"

"I don't think so" she shook her head in response. "There's no indication yet that he even knew I was there."

She watched as Bucky let out what she assumed to be a sigh of relief. He brushed his thumb over the top of her hand and stared quietly at her. "I wish there was more I could do to help you sweetheart" he spoke after another beat.

Béatrice titled her head at him. "But you do help. Your letters help more than you know. They help take my mind off of things even if it is just for a moment. You let me rant and rave without question. You listen to me. You have no idea how much of a comfort your letters have been for me."

Bucky felt relief wash over him. Just hearing her say something like that lifted his spirits. He hadn't written all of those letters in vain. She enjoyed them. They helped her feel better about everything. He was doing something right. He gave her a small smile. He lifted the hand he was holding up and kissed the top of it, letting his lips linger against her knuckles. "I'm really happy to see you" he whispered against her hand before looking back at her, letting go of her hand.

"I'm happy to see you as well. So, enough about me. How are you? Are you nervous about being over here?" she asked him placing her free arm back on the table.

Bucky shrugged at her slightly. "I wouldn't say I'm nervous, just ready to start helping the cause. Sooner I'm out there, the sooner I hope the war will be over. How much longer do they think it's going to continue?"

"No one really knows to be honest" she shrugged as well. "Some have said a few months, a year even. But then others have said it will not end until Hitler is dead. As for everything that is going on in the Pacific, who knows."

"I've never really heard you talk about the Pacific front" he noted. "Do you know anyone there?" he noted.

She shook her head. "Everyone I know is focused on the European front. Any news of it I just get from the papers, but I usually take what the papers report with a grain of salt. It's either overdramatized or they have no clue what they're talking about."

Bucky gave her a smirk and let out a laugh. "You know all the times Steve was trying to enlist when I was home and how he wanted to go out and fight, I always thought about you. You were the only person I felt who really understood what was going on over here. You know the reality of war. Understand it."

"How is Steve?" Béatrice interjected.

"Hopefully okay" he replied letting out a sigh. "The day before I left, I found him getting beat up in the back of an alley behind our movie theater. I hope he'll be able to stay out of trouble while I'm gone. Last I left him, he was trying to enlist again. Probably got rejected again." He let out another sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. God, he hoped Steve was okay back in Brooklyn.

"Bucky, you can't blame yourself. What Steve chooses to do is on him, not you. You can't always be there to protect him" she told him simply, noticing how distraught he seemed. "You have as much control over him as you have in stopping the sun from rising. Everything will be fine. Just keep faith that the war will be over soon and then you can go home."

Bucky nodded his head slightly, still feeling guilty over the fact that Steve was now alone in Brooklyn. "It's just hard not being able to be there for him right now. We've been friends since we were kids. We've always had each other. Can't remember a time where we didn't."

"You're going to make a good soldier over here" Béatrice commented giving him a small smile.

"Why? Because of my charming personality?" he gave her a playful smirk.

The German rolled her eyes playfully back at him. "No, because you're loyal."

* * *

After they had finished their meal, which Bucky thought was probably some of the best Italian food he had ever had, he and Béatrice walked down the streets of London. They had no particular destination in mind. They were just walking and continuing to talk about anything and everything. He was enjoying every second he was spending with her. It felt as though the universe was no longer against them.

In his mind, unbeknownst to her, he was carefully planning the perfect way to finally tell her how he felt about her. How he was falling in love with her and that he wanted nothing more than to be with her. How he'd wait for her until the war was over, so they could properly be together without the constant shadow of her missions and now his own assignment looming over their heads. She didn't know it, but she had completely changed his entire life in a matter of weeks. There was no going back, not that he wanted to.

Béatrice was telling him about one of her letters from Evelyn. The infamous redhead had been invited to a party and against her better judgement went. At said party, she was introduced to one of the American ambassadors, who made a comment about how she must have been sitting at home, lonely without Alexander.

Bucky's eyes nearly busted out of his sockets when Béatrice told him what she said to him in response. He stopped in his tracks and his eyes were wide as he looked at the German. "Excuse me?"

"She said that her hand had been an ideal substitute. Not as good as Alexander's, but it would have to do until he returned to ravish her once more" the brunette repeated for him.

His eyes were still wide and he nodded. "I thought that's what you said" he rubbed the back of his neck. "Jeez, I thought that kind of thing was taboo for dames."

"Nothing's taboo for Evelyn Miller" she giggled slightly shaking her head. "I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, but you did ask about some of the things she says."

Bucky let out a chuckle and shrugged. "I guess I did kind of set myself up for that. You did say she was brutally honest in one of your letters."

"That she is indeed" Béatrice nodded at him. "So what would you like to do now? We've been walking for quite a while."

He smirked back at her and raised his eyebrows. He had already had an idea even before she asked. "I want to say there was something about dancing involved in my original outline for this date."

She stopped walking and turned to him with a look of disappointment on her face. "I'm afraid I don't know any places for dancing, it's not exactly a priority when I'm here."

Bucky's eyes narrowed at her. His lips twitched to the side. He had feeling she would say something along those lines, but luckily for him he had noticed something she hadn't earlier. A few feet down the empty street, he could hear music playing. One of the apartments near them had a window open and you could just hear the radio playing music.

"Lucky for you, I always have a backup plan" he said before taking her hand and guiding her down the street. The pair stopped directly under the window of the second floor apartment that the music was coming from. "We may not have a club or anything, but that doesn't mean we can't improvise. I told you I keep my promises."

Béatrice let out a laugh, finally hearing the music. She recognized the voice and the song almost instantly. "Judy Garland" she spoke. "I like her movies and her voice."

"Perfect song to dance to" Bucky smiled at her. "You remember everything I taught you right?"

"I couldn't forget even if I wanted to" the German replied happily.

Bucky then held out his hand for her to take. It took a moment, but Béatrice took it looking directly at him. The next thing she knew, he was pulling her towards him before spinning her around and directly into her arms. She let out a laugh as did he when she faced him once more. He took a second to admire how beautiful she looked again. How happy she looked in his arms. God, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her right then and there.

But instead the two began to dance. Swaying slowly to the music, Bucky kept his eyes glued to her the entire time. He twirled her around a few times as they danced to the music. He never wanted this particular moment to end. It felt as though for a second, everything was normal. There was no war. No possibility of never seeing one another again. It was just the two of them together.

He twirled her around one last time, before pulling her a little closer to him than before. He took a deep breath as he let go of her hand. He slowly took both of her arms and moved them to be around his neck. Once he was finished, his own hands moved to the small of her back. Pressing his forehead, gently against her own, he took another deep breath. He knew what he had to do. The moment felt perfect. He just needed to open his mouth and get everything out.

"Béatrice" he softly spoke.

"Yes?" she answered timidly.

Bucky pulled away from her and looked directly into her eyes. "I need to tell you something."

The German frowned at his request slightly. "What is it?" she asked.

Bucky didn't say a word. He leaned forward and his lips pressed against her forehead. He then gently dragged them down to her cheek, his lips never leaving her skin. He heard her breath hitch slightly, but she didn't protest at all. He pulled away and raised a hand to cup her cheek, brushing his thumb against the small area he had been kissing.

This felt different to her. He had never looked at her in such a way. His kisses felt more desperate than the usual gentle and friendly ones she was used to. They left her skin feeling hot and tingly.

"I…."

Before he could even utter another word, a loud noise rang through the city. They were sirens of some sort, echoing louder and louder.

"Not again" Béatrice sighed looking around. "It's the third one this week."

"What is it?" Bucky looked at her, mentally cursing the fact that he had been stopped again. Maybe they were doomed at this point.

"Air raid drill" she said pulling away from him. "They gave up on hitting London last year, but the city still takes precautions." She took his hand. "Come with me" she told him tugging him along with her quickly.

* * *

It felt odd having Bucky with her at the S.S.R. headquarters, but given the circumstances, she really didn't have much of a choice. When the air raid drills were ordered throughout the city, it was declared that all citizens had to get to shelters immediately. The nearest shelter Béatrice knew of in the area was of course her place of employment. She was thankful that neither Peggy or Phillips were in the country. She probably would have been grilled by Peggy and she didn't even want to think about what Phillips would have done.

Leading him through the hallway of the S.S.R., Bucky head snapped continuously all over the place, taking in his new surroundings. "Is this where you work?" he asked exasperated, still looking around. "Am I even allowed to be here."

"Yes" the German nodded her head. "And who knows? If anyone asks, you're a friend and we were together when the sirens went off."

Continuing to look around, he watched as he was led to a desk that was neatly organized with files on top of it. "Have a seat" she told him simply. "The chair's comfy I promise."

Bucky frowned slightly as he sat down. He looked at the desk and the lightbulb went off in his head after a moment. "This is your desk isn't it?"

Béatrice nodded and sat on top of it. "It is" she nodded. "When I'm here and not on missions that is."

He smiled slightly at the fact that he had been brought to where she worked. It made him feel closer to her. He now knew not only what she did, but where she worked when she was not out gallivanting throughout Europe on missions. But he felt out of place. This was not his world or the one he would be going into. No, he would be walking into something else entirely. Battlefields, bombings, bullets flying everywhere. He envied her for at least having a place that she could always return to. A sense of stability. However, he soon grew worried that at any moment someone would come up to him and start questioning why he was even there.

"You know…." she began looking over at him, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I should be used to this sort of thing by now, but I'm not."

"I don't really blame you" he replied looking around at the numerous military officers and agents running in and out. "I don't see how anyone could get used to this type of thing. I think I'd call you crazy if you said you were."

The brunette let out a short laugh. "Wouldn't be the first time someone called me crazy." Her face fell slightly. "I'm sorry this happened when we were having such a nice time."

"Hey" he flashed her a grin. "It's been a great night. Couldn't have asked for a better way to be reunited with you. The way I see it, I just get to spend more time with you this way. Though I think I would have rather kept you to myself than have an audience."

The brunette rolled her eyes and just shook her head. "Don't have much of an audience anyway. No one ever pays attention to me."

Bucky raised an eyebrow at her. "I find that hard to believe."

"It's true. Everyone is always dealing with their own work. Unless I ask someone to do something, no one ever bothers me" Béatrice replied shrugging.

"Maybe we can use that to our advantage then" he smirked at her in return.

She wanted to ask him what he meant by that. There was a part of her that wondered if she did in fact know. Her mind went back to the moment where he was kissing her on her face. Did that mean something? Or was she simply overthinking things?

Looking over, she saw Alexander walking towards her causing her to stand in front of Bucky.

"Ah good you're here" he greeted her. "Who would have thought? Another drill this week."

"It'd be nice if they gave us a warning if they were going to have a drill more than once a week" she huffed annoyed.

"That would defeat the purpose of a drill darling" he noted before looking at her again. He frowned slightly, seeing how tense she was. "You seem more annoyed than usual. Did the drill interrupt your date with Barnes? Were you two in a passionate embrace and the siren just screwed everything up?"

"Something like that" Bucky suddenly appeared from behind her smirking at Alexander.

"Jesus H. Christ" the blonde nearly yelped, jumping from his spot. He breathed heavily, his mouth open. "Why is he here?" he demanded looking at Béatrice.

She looked at him in disbelief. "Well I couldn't just leave him in the streets now could I?"

The blonde pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I swear you're going to be the death of me and somehow he's going to be involved with it as well."

"I see old grumpy pants still has his spirit" Bucky laughed slightly looking up at her.

Alexander's face fell into a glare. He looked over at the German. "I need to speak with you. It's urgent unfortunately."

"Is everything alright?" Bucky asked looking between them. McPherson shot him another dirty glare causing him to swallow a lump in his throat. "Obviously, it's not something that I need to know. Never mind."

"She's going to tell you anyway once she gets back" Alexander only rolled his eyes in disbelief. "Idiots" he muttered as he took the brunette's arm and led her away from Bucky, much to her disappointment.

"You two disgust me" he lowered his voice continuing to lead her away. "Please tell me you've finally both stopped being imbeciles and declared your love for one another."

"Ruhig sein" she glared and snapped at him in response.

"I won't be quiet. Not until you both get a brain and stop this carousel of emotions you're playing with one another" he said stopping and glaring at her in return.

Béatrice huffed loudly and shook her head, stopping in front of him. Crossing her arms, she opened her mouth to speak. "If this is going to turn into a lecture about my personal life, I'm not interested and I'll go send a letter to Evelyn telling her you're being quite rude."

That shut Alexander McPherson up in a heartbeat.

He took a deep breath and reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of paper. He looked at it almost hesitating to give it to her. However, losing against whatever inner battle he was having, he handed it to her. The brunette frowned at him, taking it, and looked down to read it. Her eyes narrowed and her brows furrowed even more as her eyes skimmed over the words.

It was new orders from Phillips to her personally for a new mission. But this mission caused her heart to stop completely. She had to read it twice….three times to make sure what she was reading was correct. "They're sending me to Austria…..until further notice?" she looked up at him. "Alexander what the hell is this?"

The blonde to a deep breath and shook his head. "Honestly, I'm not even sure anymore. But for some reason Phillips wants you there working with the Austrian resistance. They apparently have a good track record for information and after what happened in Poland with your brother and the letter from your father, he's afraid you might be compromised."

She let out a huff. "So instead of sending me back to Germany to get my father out, he wants to send me to Austria? Yes, because that makes perfect sense" Béatrice interjected angrily. She stopped and took a deep breath, trying as best as she could to calm herself down. She licked her lips and looked back up at her friend. "So when are we leaving?"

Alexander's face fell. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck with his eyes closed. "That's the other bad news. _We_ won't be leaving. It's just you. They're assigning you a new handler for this. I won't be going with you."

She felt her heart stop and her mouth drop. She started shaking her head back and forth. "No…no…no…they….they can't do that. No I'm not doing this. Unless you're going with me I'm not going. They can't make me."

The blonde looked sadly at his friend. He didn't show it or express it, but he was just as upset as he was. Unfortunately, the order had been given and there was nothing he could do about it. "They can and they will. The decision is final. You know better than anyone…"

"This is ridiculous" she huffed angrily. "Why are they doing this?"

Alexander shook his head at her. "I wish I knew darling, but I don't. But I'm sure whoever your new handler is will be…."

Béatrice cut him off by holding up her hand to shut him up. She shook her head at him before turning a heel and walked away from him. He took a deep breath and sighed heavily. He knew she'd take the news badly, just not to this extent. The Army captain was at a loss for words. There was really nothing he could do in that moment to console his friend. But luckily for him, there was someone else who was more qualified for the job than he was.

Turning a heel, she walked away from her friend and back to Bucky, fuming. She couldn't believe this. After everything she had done for the S.S.R. and the military, she was still in an unending loop. What was the point of her joining if they wouldn't hold up their promise to get her family out? She wanted to scream.

Bucky looked up from her desk and saw her storming back towards him. He knew immediately that something was wrong. He could just tell by the expression on her face. It had to be another mission. Another mission where she wasn't being sent to Germany. He took a deep breath as she walked back over and sat on top of the desk. She slammed a piece of paper onto it and groaned.

"I take it things didn't go well with that talk?" he asked reluctantly.

She shook her head. "Just read the damn paper" she muttered angrily.

Bucky pulled the paper towards him, picked it up, and began to read. Skimming over the page, his face turned into a frown. He didn't fully understand everything that was written on it. There was a lot of military jargon that he was unfamiliar with due to the fact that she was working for a completely different branch and did things he still wasn't even aware of. However, towards the end, he got the message loud and clear. She was going to Austria for an undisclosed amount of time. Austria. Not Germany.

"Austria?" he looked at her in disbelief. "And what does it mean for an undisclosed amount of time."

"Exactly what it says" Béatrice sighed heavily. "They're sending me away again. They want me to feed them information. I don't know what's worse, that or the fact that Alexander isn't even going with me. They're assigning me a new handler."

Bucky's brows furrowed. A new handler? That didn't sound good at all to him. If McPherson wasn't going with her, then who was? "Who?"

The brunette shrugged and shook her head. "No clue, I was too upset that I didn't even bother to ask."

Bucky felt his heart drop into his stomach in disappointment. If McPherson wasn't going with her to Austria, that meant she would be alone with another man. Another man who most certainly would not have the establishment friendship that Béatrice had with McPherson. Whoever her new handler was could realize what an amazing person she was. What could stop someone else from becoming interested in her? Anyone would be a fool not to be. "Are many of the handlers' young men?" he found himself blurting out. He immediately closed his eyes, regretting every word he uttered.

She frowned and looked at him in confusion. "That would be a better question to ask some of the secretaries I would say. I don't really pay attention to that sort of thing around here" she said slowly. "I don't see why it would matter anyway." Her face softened and she smirked at him. "Would it matter to you?"

Bucky swallowed and quickly shook his head. "Of course not" he replied quickly. "I…I…uh…I just want to make sure you're being looked after and not taken advantage of or anything."

Béatrice gave him a small smile. "I'll be alright. I can handle myself" she said softly.

Bucky nodded in agreement. He reached out and took her hand in his own. "I know you can" he said looking up at her. He felt as she squeezed his hand gently and brought her own up to his lips and kissed it.

"Oh by the way, what were you trying to tell me earlier before the sirens went off?" he heard her say.

He looked up and bit his lip for a moment. "Nothing. It wasn't important." It was clear it was not the right time. With her going to Austria until further notice and him getting ready to be shipped elsewhere, it just wasn't right. He didn't want to start something that he couldn't finish. She'd probably protest the matter herself with her new mission and someone new looking after her. They both were about to have a lot on their plate.

Béatrice looked at him unconvinced. He panicked slightly for a moment wondering if she was able to see through his act. But instead, she shrugged and opened her mouth to speak. "Once we've been given the all clear, I live a few blocks away. I can make you some tea for old time's sake?"

Bucky quickly nodded his head. Time may have been against the two of them, but he was going to treasure every moment with her as long as he could.

 **There you have it! They were reunited. I know a lot of you are going to be happy, but also slightly disappointed over a lack of a certain kiss. I'd apologize, but at this point I'm not. I think part of me enjoys torture. BUT I JUST LOVE A GOOD SLOW BURN. I also have something amazing planned for future chapters and for it to be just as epic as I hope, some things must be left out for now.**

 **Now onto the next thing. I'm starting graduate school in about a week and a half. This means updates will be a lot slower. I'm going to try. Keyword try, to get a chapter or two out once a month. However, I don't fully know my schedule just yet and school has always come first for me when it comes to fanfiction. So if I go MIA for a month or so, know that I'm not giving up on this story, it's just I'm very busy. I hope this is okay with everyone and if it's not, I'm sorry, but I worked really hard to get where I am and I'd hate to waste it. However, keep an eye out on my Tumblr for sneak peaks. If I don't have a lot of time for a chapter, I'll make sure to post excerpts or quotes!**

 **As always, big thanks to my beta inperfection for as always looking over this and fixing my careless mistakes. Thank you darling!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you think. A sneak peak for the next chapter is already up on my tumblr! Read and review!**

 **Guest Review Replies:**

 **Love: Glad you enjoyed it. Yeah school definitely sets me back on reading fanfiction as well. It can be a pain sometime especially if I'm really into a story. Whenever I get the email, there are times where I just want to drop everything and read, but alas life can be fickle.**

 **Guest: It meant what you thought it meant. However, we are a no-go on the confession front….for now at least.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize.**

The ringing of the phone in her apartment caused Béatrice to wake with a start. Groaning softly, she rolled on her side and looked at her clock. Seeing 7 am caused her sigh heavily. Of course on the one day she had off, someone would be bothering her at all hours of the morning. Reluctantly, she pushed the covers off of her and got out of her warm bed. Walking over to a small desk in the corner of the room, she picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she greeted sleepily.

"I woke you didn't I?" she heard Alexander reply on the other end. "This is unusual for you to be in bed at this hour."

Béatrice rolled her eyes and rubbed the sleep out of them. "It is my day off after all. I think I'm allowed a lie in every once in a while."

"Or you were up a little too late with a certain sergeant of yours" he replied cheekily.

"Shut up" she mumbled quietly.

"What trouble were you up to last night after the drill was over? Did you two finally rip the bandage off? Declare your undying love for one another? Have a tussle in the sheets?" he chuckled loudly.

Her patience was fading fast and her bed was calling her name again. "You have exactly ten seconds to tell me why you called me before I hang up the phone" she deadpanned.

The line fell silent for a moment, but she could have sworn she heard Alexander mumble something about having an attitude. "Alright, alright. Someone's grumpy this morning. Look, I know it's your day off and you want to spend as much time with Barnes as you can, but your new handler is due to arrive. Can I steal you away for an hour at most this afternoon? Say around two?"

Béatrice took a deep breath. The moment she was dreading had arrived. Her new handler was already in town and it hadn't even been twelve hours since she had been told. She had to face it. There was no point in putting it off further. She would be spending time with whoever it was until further notice. "Fine."

"Perfect. I'll see you at headquarters this afternoon, and do me a favor. Leave the attitude at the apartment or go back to sleep. You're with this man for who knows how long and I really don't want you two to get off on the wrong foot before the mission even begins" he told her.

She smiled slightly and shook her head. "I'll be on my best behavior Alexander. I'll see you at two." With that she hung up the phone and turned back around to look at her bed. The sight of who was in her bed made her smile even more.

Bucky was currently sleeping soundly on the bed, wrapped in sheets and not at all being disturbed at the sound of the phone or her getting up. She didn't realize how much of a heavy sleeper he was. He didn't seem that way when they were at Camp McCoy together and he spent the night. However, things were very different from how they were then. A lot had changed. Bucky was no longer a private in training and he was now about to go off to the front lines of the war that he had been so eager to join.

Memories from the previous night began to replay in her mind. The pair had come back to her apartment to have tea once they were given the all clear at the S.S.R. headquarters. However, it wasn't just any tea. It was peppermint tea , which Bucky had, so eagerly requested as she led him down the dark streets of London. The two of them continued to chat about their lives, but it was mostly Bucky asking questions about what he should possibly expect in the place where he would be living for an undisclosed amount of time.

As she talked to him about the recent news she had heard through her father or the newspapers, her heart grew heavy. It finally hit her that Bucky would be risking his life. There was a chance he wouldn't come back. That thought terrified her immensely. It was something she could barely comprehend anyway. She brushed her fears away and just took pleasure in their time together in that present moment.

After they had finished their tea and truly exhausted all possible topics of conversation, Bucky noted the time and told her that he probably should start heading back to his quarters. Perhaps it was because she was disappointed in the lack of time they were able to spend together that caused her boldness. But almost immediately she told him that he could stay here if he wanted to. She laughed at his expression as she watched his eyes grow big and his cheeks slightly flush. As she told him, it wasn't as if they hadn't shared a bed before, but maybe it had to do with the fact that they were in her apartment as opposed to military quarters.

Still, he agreed without hesitation lingering in his voice.

Quietly as she could, she made her way back over to the bed. She attempted to get back in and under the covers in a way where she wouldn't disturb him. He looked so peaceful when he was sleeping, still as handsome as ever too. She reached over and lightly stroked his cheek, smiling. She was so incredibly lucky to have him in her life. She hated to think that it was only a matter of time before they would be separated once more. It wasn't fair. It really truly wasn't.

But at least she still had time with him. She leaned forward and brushed her lips against the side of his face. As she was pulling away, she felt him begin to stir.

Bucky let out a breathy sigh as his eyes fluttered open. Taking a deep breath, he sighed heavily, looking at her. "Everything okay?"

"Yes. Just had a phone call that's all" she replied quietly.

Bucky took another deep breath, his eyes shutting as she reached to run her fingers through his hair. "McPherson?" he asked opening his eyes slowly again. She nodded her head at him. "Jesus, the guy needs to understand what it means to have a day off."

Béatrice let out a small laugh and ran her hands through his hair gently again. "I know. Go back to sleep."

He shut his eyes again and nodded. "Only if you do sweetheart" he said as he put his arm around her. The brunette smiled as she moved closer to him and laid her head on his chest. She shut her eyes and after a moment felt a light kiss on the top of her head. The last thing she remembered was thinking how perfect being with Bucky was in this moment and how lucky she was before sleep took her once more.

* * *

The pair slept for another two hours. For Béatrice, it was probably the best night's sleep that she had had for quite some time. Opening her eyes slowly, it took her a minute to realize that she was not lying directly on her mattress. She was still on Bucky's chest. Realizing that she must have not moved at all during her sleep, she let out a small yawn and turned her head up to the man she had spent the night with.

Bucky was already wide awake and smiling down at her. "Morning beautiful."

"Hi" she replied sleepily. "How long have you been awake?"

He shrugged at her in response. "Little while I think?"

She rolled her eyes slightly and lifted herself up more. "You should have woken me up then."

The next thing she knew, she felt light circles rubbed on her back and Bucky smiled at her. "I could have, but you just looked peaceful. I didn't want to disturb you doll face. You looked beautiful. I couldn't stop staring."

Her cheeks flushed at his comment and she felt herself growing warmer by the second. She could honestly listen to him say things like that for the rest of her life and she would be happy. She licked her lips and looked over at her clock. She still had lots of time before she had to meet Alexander. "Want some breakfast?" she asked looking back over at him.

"Sure" he nodded, smirking. "But I'm pretty comfortable where I am right now. Honestly, I think the food could wait. I prefer the company." His grip on her tightened ever so slightly, almost as though he had no intention of letting her go anytime soon.

"You need to eat Bucky. God only knows what the military is going to feed you from now on" she let out a laugh, getting out of his grip. She got out of the bed and grabbed her robe from a nearby chair and tied it. "Besides, I don't mind cooking for you. You just need to tell me what you want" she looked at him.

"I'll eat anything" he smiled at her.

She glared playfully at him and shook her head. "So unhelpful" she said before sticking her tongue out at him. She turned and walked towards her kitchen. She opened the fridge and eventually rummaged through the cupboards to see what she had. Taking stock of everything, she realized she had everything for pancakes. It was something she hadn't had in a while and many Americans like them, so Bucky probably would as well.

Béatrice started grabbing the necessary items from the shelves when she found a pair of arms snaking around her waist. She jumped slightly, more from the unexpectedness, but welcomed Bucky as he laid his head in the crook of her neck. He gently kissed it multiple times, causing her to sigh silently. Her stomach began to flutter at the contact as well.

"I figured I could make you pancakes" she spoke trying to keep herself together.

Bucky stayed silent before letting go of her and turning her around to face him. He saw a few stray pieces of hair in her face and brushed them away, tucking them behind her ear. She looked beautiful in the morning in nothing but her nightgown and robe. The most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He wanted to remember the way she looked in this moment forever. He needed to hold onto her somehow.

"I don't deserve you" he whispered to her. However, his eyes went big at the realization that he had actually said that to her and not in his head. He was an idiot. Again. What was happening to him? How was it possible that she was able to make him seem so unsmooth? He hoped she didn't think that he was pathetic for saying it.

She gave him a small smile and put her arms around his neck and shook her head. "You do deserve me. In more ways than you realize."

* * *

Alexander tapped a pencil lightly on his desk as Béatrice looked at her watch once more. Whoever her new handler was, he was not a punctual person. Having been told that they would meet around two, it was now almost two-thirty. The German sighed heavily. The longer they waited, the less time she was spending with Bucky. He had gone back to where the rest of the soldiers were staying to see if there was any indication of when they would ship out. However, she was worried that they would receive news while she waited and he would either be gone by the time she was done or it would only be a matter of hours before he had to leave.

"This is ridiculous" she suddenly muttered out loud. "And extremely rude."

Alexander sighed heavily and looked over at her. "Tell me about it. I had to cancel my long-distance phone call with Evelyn for this."

"Is Phillips sure, this agent is the best man for the job?" the brunette raised an eyebrow at him.

The blonde shrugged. "I don't know much about him, but from what I've been told he's one of the best. He's been out of the S.S.R. for the past few months. Something about personal leave….family problems….I'm not quite sure. I would say we trust Phillips to know what he's doing."

Béatrice snickered and shook her head. "Trust Phillips? The man who keeps putting off my mission to get my family to safety. Yes, I will definitely trust him" she glared over at her friend.

Before he could respond, the door flew open. A man, who Béatrice guessed to be somewhere in his thirties walked in through the doorway and stopped. He was wearing a grey suit that seemed to have just been thrown on by the look of his loose tie. His dark brown hair was long and tucked behind his ears. She could faintly see it from underneath his hat. His dark eyes looked cold and exhausted, probably due to lack of sleep. Clearly, he must have been up all night or in quite a hurry judging by the scruff on his face. However, his stare sent chills up her spine. This was to be her new handler?

"Ah, good you're here" Alexander nodded to him. "Béatrice Faust, meet Agent Robert Carlson. Your new handler."

Carlson narrowed his eyes and her and walked forward. He titled his head and looked her up and down. Slowly, he began to circle her, still looking up and down at the woman who was to be under his care.

She had never had an introduction like this before. It was almost uncomfortable. She could just feel the tension in the room. Why was he acting this way towards her? "Is something wrong?" Béatrice raised an eyebrow at him in confusion.

Carlson only shrugged at her still circling her. "Not really. You're just not what I was expecting."

She let out a huff in disbelief. "And what were you expecting Agent Carlson" she asked almost bitterly.

"Someone older, but then again after what happened in Vienna back in December, I should have known you were young" he replied immediately. "That explosion had young and reckless written all over it." He continued to study her, putting a hand to his chin and sighed. "I guess she'll have to do."

"You guess I'll have to do?" Béatrice shot back at him, almost in an outrage. "If you have a problem with me Agent Carlson. Please speak. We're not shy here."

Carlson stuck both of his hands into his pocket and blinked blankly at her. He looked over at Alexander and raised an eyebrow. "Is she always like this?"

The German shot Alexander an angry look and the captain swallowed quickly. "Agent Faust is very resilient and strong-willed. She'll make sure the mission is completed fully. She's one of our best agents."

"Sounds like she'll get herself killed one of these days with that kind of attitude" Carlson commented with his eyes shifting back to look at Béatrice.

"And I would say the same thing about your lack of punctuality and apathetic attitude towards the concept of respect" she told him coolly. "It also wouldn't hurt you to run a comb through your hair once in a while either. Perhaps your attitude could change if you put more effort into your appearance."

At that moment, Alexander's eyes flew wide and the German felt herself being grabbed. "Excuse us for a moment" he said dragging her away to a corner of the room. "I told you to be nice and on your best behavior did I not?" he whispered angrily at her.

"I'm not the one being a complete and utter asshole" she shot back just as angry.

The blonde sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Béatrice, it's going to be a long few months. You need to try and get along with him. If not, you're going to be miserable and then you're going to send letters to me about being miserable, and then I'll send letters to Evelyn about you being miserable and finally Evelyn will send me angry letters telling me to fix it, making me miserable." He took another deep breath and look at her. "I know this is going to be hard. Believe me I know. But sometimes, we have to swallow our pride for the sake of the mission. Just try to make nice. Promise me you'll at least try."

Unfortunately, everything that had come out of Alexander's mouth was true. Béatrice knew how miserable she would be if she and Carlson got off on the wrong foot. At worst it could compromise future missions. She took a deep breath and nodded her head at him. Alexander then motioned for them to return to Carlson, who seemed to be deep in thought somewhere else.

"So Agent Carlson, I trust you have been briefed on the mission?" Alexander asked him.

Carlson nodded before turning his attention back to Béatrice. "I suggest you go home and pack what you need. We leave tonight."

Both Alexander and Béatrice frowned at one another in confusion. She figured she would have another day or so before she was leaving. "I wasn't aware that you would be leaving…."

"Well you're not her handler anymore are you?" Carlson cut him off. "With all due _respect_ Captain. This isn't your mission. The German isn't your problem anymore. She's mine. Unfortunately."

Alexander's mouth nearly dropped at Carlson, but he maintained composure, something that Béatrice was extremely surprised about. Neither one of them had expected the meeting to go as it had. The brunette raised a hand and pinched the bridge of her nose. It was going to be a long few months in Austria.

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me" Bucky said completely stunned as the two of them stood on a bridge near his quarters. "Jesus Christ doll." He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "And there's no one else than can send?"

The German just shrugged her shoulders. After finishing her meeting with Alexander and the infamous Agent Carlson, she had made her way back to Bucky at his quarters. Luckily, he had yet to receive news about being shipped out, allowing them to have more time together before she had to leave. She was happy with it, but after her meeting with her new handler, her spirits were definitely dampened. "I've been told he's the best for the job. But honestly, I don't see it."

Bucky made a face and shook his head. "Yeah no kidding. Guy sounds like a complete tool." He then sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe I should just go find the guy and threaten him."

Béatrice sighed and looked at him. "Bucky….no…" she began. "I can handle myself. If I can sit through an entire party with Adolf Hitler sitting across from me at my dinner table, I can handle this Agent Carlson." She reached up and cupped his cheek. By now Bucky was avoiding her gaze and staring off into the distance. "Bucky look at me" she pleaded with him.

After a moment, he turned his head towards her. She could tell just by the way he was looking at her that he was worried about her new situation. She didn't blame him at all. She too was worried, but the reality was that there was nothing he could do about it.

"I'll be alright" the brunette told him softly. "I promise you. Nothing is going to happen to me." Béatrice then stood up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

The next thing she knew, Bucky wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She heard him sigh again before she felt a kiss at the nape of her neck. The feeling of his lips made her shiver and she prayed that he would keep kissing her. However, he didn't

"I don't trust him" Bucky mumbled against her neck.

"I know" she nodded her head before pulling away to look at him. "I don't either, but I will take care of myself. I've done much worse on my own and I came out barely scratched."

"I don't see how that's supposed to make me feel better" he shot her a smirk.

"At least I'm trying" she glared playfully at him.

Bucky gave her a small smile and leaned forward to rest his forehead against her own. He knew she was trying to make him feel better, but he knew no matter what, he would always worry about her. He probably would never stop until her family was out of Germany or the war was over. But then again, he knew that when you loved someone, you would always worry about them.

"I…I should probably go. I need to pack before I leave tonight" he heard her say snapping him out of his thoughts. He bit his lip and reluctantly pulled away from her. Again, they were faced with goodbyes. So soon after being reunited. He hated it. He hated that she was leaving and he would be god knows where before she got back. God, he hated this war.

"Alexander will be around for the time being. I'll make sure he comes by to check on you until you leave" she continued.

Bucky let out a huff and smirked at her. "I'm sure old grumpy pants is going to love that. Probably going to try and beat me up while he's at it too."

Béatrice gave him a small smile. "Alexander means well. I think he secretly likes you. He just won't ever say anything out loud. Besides, I think between the two of you in a fight….I think you'd win, but I never said that."

He laughed and raised an eyebrow. "Seems like someone is playing favorites."

The brunette tightened her grip around his neck and smiled at him. "Obviously, but it'll be our secret" she said causing Bucky to laugh again. He watched as her face fell after a moment. "I'll miss you."

"I already miss you" Bucky told her pointedly. "I'll write as often as I can. You'll have a giant stack of letters from me when you get back."

"I expect nothing less" she said, putting her head on his shoulder. His grip on her tightened. "Please be careful. Please come back to me."

Bucky felt his heart break into a million pieces hearing her quiet words. That was his reality now. There was always a chance that he wouldn't come back. Something could go wrong anytime on the battlefield. He was playing with death now and there was no way of stopping it. "Of course I'll come back" he spoke trying to not only convince himself, but Béatrice too. "I've got something to come back to after all. Can't leave old grumpy pants in charge of your well-being forever now, can I?"

Béatrice lifted her head up and looked at him. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth praying that what she was about to do wouldn't back fire. "Ich liebe dich" she said softly.

He frowned realizing immediately that it was German, but had absolutely no clue what she was saying. "You never taught me that phrase. What's it mean?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat and shook her head. "Learn some more German and find out."

"Now you're being a tease. That's not very nice" he raised an eyebrow.

The brunette just stared at him blankly. For the first time in a while, he was unable to get a read on her. It was like the first time he had met her. "You'll find out soon enough and I'm sorry."

Now Bucky was even more confused. She was sorry? What was that supposed to mean. "What are you sorry for doll?" he looked at her.

She shook her head at him. "It's nothing" she told him. She hugged him tightly once more and gave him a long kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye Bucky" she whispered. "Be safe."

He frowned again at what had just taken place but returned the hug and kissed the side of her head. "Goodbye sweetheart. Write when you can."

Reluctantly, Béatrice pulled away from him and gave him one last longing look. She sighed in an attempt to hide her tears that were slowly forming in her eyes. She turned a heel before Bucky could see them seep down her face. In that moment she was either one of two things: a brilliant mastermind or the stupidest person on the planet. As she walked away, all she could do was think about how she told Bucky Barnes she loved him in her native tongue.

She prayed it would not be the last time she uttered those words to him. But she knew it was very possible that it could have very well been.

* * *

The full moon over London illuminated the streets as Béatrice made her way from her apartment back to the S.S.R. headquarters. During the entire walk her mind was plagued with excuses to somehow get out of this mission with Robert Carlson. They were off to a horrible start. It made her dread this mission more than any other. She couldn't believe that of all the people, she was stuck with this man. She would have preferred Adolf Hitler to this man any day.

Taking a deep breath, she did her best to try to look at the positives, but as much as she tried, she just couldn't. It was going to be a long few...weeks? Months? Whatever it was, it would be long to her. She just prayed that Carlson would either warm up to her or maybe they would find a way to get along with one another. If not…well…she didn't want to think about that just yet.

As she continued her journey, she soon caught glimpse of a figure standing under one of the street lamps, smoking a cigarette. Carlson was still wearing the exact suit he had on earlier minus the hat and appeared to be tapping his foot as he waiting. As she got closer to him, he realized she was approaching. Once she reached him, she realized that she had not been so quick to judge earlier. There was no reason to be so positive. He didn't even bother to greet her.

"That all you have?" he asked motioning to her single suitcase. The brunette only nodded at him. "Bit of a light packer I see" he said now directly looking at her.

"I don't need much" she narrowed her eyes at her.

He simply blinked at her and stared at her. "Most women I knew didn't know how to pack light. Barely know the meaning of the word."

"Well I'm not like most women" she shot back emotionless. "I've learned to adjust and not need that much."

Taking a rather large drag off his cigarette, he sighed deeply. "Whatever Faust. Come on, we're already wasting time."

"You can call me Béatrice you know" she replied instantly. "We will be working together for quite a while. There's no need for formalities."

Carlson's dark eyes narrowed at her, sending chills up her spine. The look was almost dangerous. "Just because we're working together on this mission, doesn't mean you and I are going to become friendly. This is a strictly professional partnership. You listen to me and do what I say at all times. Is that clear Faust?"

The brunette blinked a few times, taken aback by his sudden brashness. However, she managed to pull herself together. She wasn't about to let him see her taken so off guard. She wasn't going to let him get to her. "Yes Carlson" she said coolly.

It was official. It was going to be an extremely long mission.

* * *

Quiet. That was the only word that Béatrice could describe her first few weeks in Austria with Agent Carlson. Why? Because he barely had said a word to her since they entered the country. The plane ride was silent. As was the train ride. She attempted to ask him normal questions like any other person would do when meeting a new acquaintance, but Robert Carlson gave one word answers or nothing at all. At times, it came off to her as rude and other times it baffled her.

She had never met a man who had been this way towards her. Typically, her handlers would make comments about her German heritage or being a woman. But not Carlson. Instead he would just stare at nothing in particular or give her strange looks if she even spoke to him.

When they arrived at the apartment they would be living at during their time in Vienna, she began to wonder if something was wrong with her. She was slowly coming to the realization that he possibly hated her. Immediately entering the apartment, she was taken aback, by something she was not used to. Instead of having two bedrooms for her and her handler, there was only one bedroom with two separate beds. Instead of getting her own private room, she was going to be forced to share one. However, being the person that she was Béatrice tried to make light of the situation. She joked that perhaps they should tie a rope down the middle of the room and drape some sheets over it like Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable did in _It Happened One Night._

She was quite proud of the joke, but Robert Carlson was not. He simply glared at her and rolled his eyes. He mumbled something too, but she wasn't able to make it out, so she elected to ignore it.

Occasionally, she would get a simple yes or no from him, if she was lucky. For whatever reason, she could never get a read on him. One would think that he was simply a quiet person, but after the infamous first meeting between them, quiet was the last thing that would have ever crossed her mind about him. Bucky was right about him. He was nothing more than a complete tool.

She had an inkling that maybe he hated the job, but that thought quickly was squashed when they first reported to the head of the Austrian resistance. She had to hold herself back from her mouth dropping wide open. Robert Carlson was polite, talkative, and even smiled with the Austrian resistance head. He was a perfect gentleman and a completely different person than what he had been like around her. This was not the same man she had been assigned to. No, she had to have been dreaming, but unfortunately she was not.

There were two things that she did take comfort in during her less than ideal situation. The first of course was writing to Bucky. Though, she was unable to send him letters directly until she got back to London, just the fact that she could write to him took her out of her own personal hell. She was brash and blunt when it came to Carlson and her mission, but knowing Bucky he wouldn't mind. When he did eventually get the letters, he would probably respond with a sarcastic comment and a threat against Carlson. The thought of that always made her smile. She missed being able to converse with him. She hoped he did as well.

Her mind still would venture back to her unbeknownst declaration of love to him. She wondered if he had put the pieces together yet and if so, how did he feel about it? Was he angry? Happy? Did he feel the same way or had she completely underestimated the way he could have felt about her? These thoughts kept her up at night, but despite how pesky they were, at least she could think about Bucky as often as she liked.

The second thing she always looked forward to were Wednesdays. Wednesdays were market days in the city center of Vienna. There were always numerous vendors selling food, jewelry, clothing, and her personal favorite: books. Once she and the always silent Carlson did the grocery shopping for their meals for the next few days, she always enjoyed going over to the book vendors. Telling Carlson was always exhausting as he would either roll his eyes at her or huff. Many times he would tell her to hurry up or at least stay close. The only words she ever heard him utter on their weekly trips.

As she looked through the various book titles, she felt something tap her on the back of her shoulder. Her lip twitched realizing that Carlson was probably behind her telling her that her time was up, that they had somewhere else to be, or that they needed to get back to the apartment. There was always some sort of excuse. She could never get enough time to do what she wanted. Reluctantly, she turned around ready to be badgered, but as she did, she saw that the person behind her was the last person she had ever expected to see.

"Christoph?"

 ***Grins evilly* I've done it now haven't I? I'm not sure the response I will get from this, but I must say I'm looking forward to reading them for sure. Next chapter we'll have a little interaction between Bucky and McPherson and most importantly what the hell does that ending mean for our favorite German spy?**

 **I've been able to settle in grad school. I have a schedule and it's pretty intense. But like I said I'm going to try and get a chapter or two out at least once a month or so. I especially can't leave you all on a cliff hanger like that for two long!**

 **As always special thanks to my lovely beta, inperfection for looking over everything and editing the hell out of any chapter I send her. Getting a beta has been the best decision ever. Don't know where I would be without her.**

 **Until next time! Hopefully I'll have a chapter out sometime in October. Also remember I post teasers on my Tumblr. So go check those out!**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Guest: Yep. Alexander is horrible timing strikes again!**

 **LostGirl24: I couldn't send you a personal PM like I normally do since you have it disabled, so I'll just put my response here. Thank you so much for your review and I'm glad you're enjoying it. Sorry to have to make you wait, but it takes time to write chapters cause I'm an idiot and write so much! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Love: Alexander really needs to work on his timing doesn't he? Well there's her new handler. Carlson is a piece of work isn't he? Austria is going to be very interesting. Let me tell you….very….very interesting. As for the admitting of feelings. I'll just let everything sink in for you….this wasn't in my original plan, but you know what, I'm quite pleased with it!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize.**

Bucky stared at the glass of whiskey that was put in front of him. He sat in a local pub, not far from where he was staying until he shipped out. He had received word earlier that he would be leaving England tomorrow for Azzano, Italy. In a way, he was relieved, not only was he going to start fighting, but since he would be leaving after Béatrice had left he wouldn't have to leave her behind. That was his biggest fear when he got his orders to come to England first; that he would leave before seeing her again. Luckily for him fate finally worked in his favor for once.

He picked up his glass and took a large gulp of his whiskey, not even bothering to notice that someone was walking towards him.

"Ahh Barnes" he heard someone say. Bucky turned and looked to see Alexander McPherson beside him smiling.

He looked at the blonde in disbelief. Béatrice had mentioned that he would be coming to check on him, but he didn't think he would. "Didn't think you'd actually check up on me. You know, she's gone, I'm fine. She'd never know."

"Trust me even if I didn't and I said I did. She knows all" McPherson sighed heavily. "Even if she didn't Evelyn would know, and an angry Evelyn Miller is not something I take lightly." He motioned for the bartender. "Whiskey please." He looked back over at Bucky, who was staring silently ahead of him. "I heard you're leaving tomorrow for Italy."

"Just got word this morning" Bucky replied taking another sip from his glass. "We leave first thing tomorrow."

Alexander stared curiously at the young sergeant. He could tell that his mind was elsewhere. He had suspicions as to where his thoughts were, but instead of a where, it was more than likely a who. The who, being Béatrice.

"Figured you'd be more excited about shipping out. Azzano's not bad from what I've heard. Probably better than some of the other places you could be sent to, but then again we're at war, there's no such thing as a good place to be sent" he looked at him. "Certain dark haired German who left yesterday on your mind?"

Bucky licked his lips and stared out into the distance. Alexander was right. She was on his mind, she was always on his mind. But what she said to him before she left plagued his thoughts. "Béatrice said something to me in German before she left. She wouldn't tell me what it meant in English though. She's taught me some phrases, but she never taught me the one she said."

Alexander leaned forward, curiosity clearly written on his face. "What did she say?" he asked as the bartender put the whiskey glass in front of him.

"Ich liebe Dich" Bucky looked back at him.

The Army captain's brows furrowed slightly. He leaned back for a moment. Bucky held his breath as he waited for the reply. McPherson had to know the translation. If he didn't, it was just going to continue eating away at him. It had to be something unusual for her to say it in her native German tongue. Maybe she just didn't know how to say it in English properly. However, she did say that he would find out soon and then she apologized for it. Nothing made sense. But then again, it was Béatrice Faust, and she was a wonderfully complicated woman.

Alexander sighed heavily. "Sorry Barnes, but I'm not sure" he shook his head. "Unfortunately I'm not familiar with that phrase. Maybe it was difficult to translate into English so she just went with German."

"But she said I would find out what it meant soon and then she said she was sorry" Bucky added.

"That's something you would have to ask Béatrice" the Captain replied shrugging and smirking. "She can be cryptic like that occasionally. Keeps people on their toes."

Bucky smiled slightly and finished off his drink. "You got that right" he nodded. "So what's next for you. You sticking around here or are they sending you somewhere else."

The captain took his glass and downed in in one gulp, shaking his head. "I'm here until further notice. Might get some leave time to go back to D.C. to see Evelyn, but they have me here for the time being. It'll be a bit lonely without Béatrice though."

"Do you think you'll hear from her?" Bucky looked over at him.

Alexander kept silent for a moment and shrugged. "I honestly don't know" he replied. "It's possible to get updates, but there have been instances where I haven't heard from her when she's been on her own. Depends on the mission really."

Bucky let out a sigh and lowered his head, staring at the top of the bar. Alexander's lip twitched. He knew he was worried about Béatrice and her safety, especially with a new partner.

"If you want, once I get word about her, I can send you a letter. I know it won't be the same, but it's better than nothing, right?" he spoke.

Bucky looked over at Alexander McPherson in disbelief. "And here I thought you didn't like me."

The blonde's face fell and he looked really unamused. "Well the jury is still out on that, but you're slowly growing on me. She's my friend and you make her happy, it's been a long time since I've seen her that happy. I hope you realize that."

Bucky blinked a few times. He made Béatrice happy. He honestly didn't realize that he had until now. Sure, he had hoped to, but hearing it from McPherson validated it completely. "I do now" he said, his voice barely a whisper. He sat silently for another few moments, letting the new information sit in. His lips soon formed into a smile. He had the urge to go write her a letter. He quickly got up and put some coins on the bar to pay for his drink as McPherson watched with a smirk on his face the whole time. Bucky grabbed his coat and turned to leave.

"Oh and by the way" McPherson suddenly spoke, causing Bucky to look at him. "You should tell her. It's blatantly obvious and I think her response might just surprise you."

He didn't say it, but Bucky knew exactly what McPherson was referring to. He nodded his head. "I know and I will, when the time is right."

McPherson's eyes narrowed at him. "Time's not on anyone's side right now." Bucky blinked a few times. Alexander could tell he was letting his words sink in. However, he never got a response. Bucky turned and left Alexander McPherson alone in the bar, contemplating how he was going to handle a future with Béatrice.

* * *

 _Azzano, Italy_

Bucky shot up from his bed, breathing heavily. The sound of the morning bugle waking up the camp startled him from his deep sleep. Sitting up in his bunk, he ran his hands through his hair. He had the same dream again. His conversation with McPherson just wouldn't let him be.

Looking over at the table beside his bunk, he looked at the stack of letters addressed to Béatrice sitting on top of it. Next to them were multiple unfinished letters that he had started to write, but never finished. He lost count of all the times he tried to write her a letter, telling her everything. How he felt and how he hoped she felt the same way. But he could never get the right words out. He sighed heavily and grabbed an open letter from the middle of the table.

Addressed to him, it was his first letter from Alexander McPherson.

 _Barnes,_

 _Wanted to give you an update on Béatrice. Heard a few days ago that she had made it to Austria with Carlson. Have yet to hear her from her personally, but sometimes no news is good news. Hope you've settled comfortably in Azzano. I'll be in touch if there's any news._

 _McPherson_

 _P.S. All your letters are patiently waiting on her desk to be opened. Keep them coming._

He had received the letter a week after arriving in Italy. That had been several weeks ago now and he hadn't heard anything from him since. He hoped every day that he would receive another letter from him or even Béatrice, but he never did. Putting the letter down again, he let out a sigh.

Though he was settled into his routine at Azzano, the German spy plagued his thoughts constantly and he had a feeling, he wouldn't be able to get her out of his head anytime soon.

"I hope you're okay sweetheart" he whispered to his empty room.

* * *

Béatrice felt her heart stop. Blinking a few times, she hoped that any second now she would wake up from this dream…. more of a nightmare really. Closing both hands into fists, she dug her nails into her palms.

She didn't wake up; this was real. This was very very real. She couldn't believe it. She could barely breathe. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She was frozen where she stood.

Standing in front of her was her brother Christoph.

"Béatrice?" he looked at her in confusion. She blinked several times silently. "What are you doing here?" he asked in their native tongue and pulling her into his arms for a tight hug. Béatrice let out a breath and did her best not to shake in his arms. Pulling away, Christoph looked directly at her again. "I thought you were in Paris."

She swallowed the lump that had been forming in her throat. She had to pull herself together and fast. If she didn't, everything could be ruined. She nodded her head quickly, replying in German. "I was and still am."

Christoph looked at her curiously. "That still doesn't answer why you're here?" He crossed his arms. "You seem nervous, surprised even. Aren't you happy to see your big brother?"

Béatrice smiled slightly and took a breath. "Of course I'm happy to see you. I am just surprised to see you. Last time I wrote to father, he said you had been traveling a lot. I wasn't even sure where you were."

"I'm in Austria for the next few days for business, but it still doesn't explain why you're here" he raised an eyebrow. "Do mother and father know you're here?"

The brunette took a deep breath, trying as quickly as she could to come up with a sufficient excuse that he would believe. Christoph was no fool. She knew that much. "Well…. you see…"

"There you are" she heard someone speak in English and suddenly felt someone grab her arm. She looked up to see Agent Carlson. "Time to go." He stopped and noticed they had an audience. The agent frowned and looked over at Christoph. "Can I help you with something?"

Christoph shot Carlson a dark look. "I'd like to know why you have your hands on my sister" he replied in perfect English.

Carlson's face fell. "Sister?" he frowned and looked over at Béatrice and then back at Christoph. "You must be Christoph then. Heard a lot about you." Béatrice frowned at that comment. She hadn't recalled ever telling Agent Carlson about her brother. He must have been briefed about her whole family before the mission.

"And I've heard nothing about you Mr….?" Christoph's voice trailed off.

"Carlson. Robert Carlson" he outstretched his hand and held it out in front of Christoph. The older Faust sibling looked at him and then back at his extended hand. After a moment, he reached out and shook his hand.

Once Christoph pulled away, he eyed the pair closely. "Béatrice, what is going on?" he demanded.

She opened her mouth to speak, but was soon cut off by Carlson. "I guess the secret is out sweetheart" he suddenly spoke putting his arm around her, pulling her close, smiling. "No reason to keep it between us any longer." He looked down at Béatrice and motioned towards Christoph. "You said your brother would probably be more understanding, right?"

Christoph frowned again. "Understanding about what?"

Carlson turned to him. "I've been seeing your sister quietly for a few months. We met in Paris and just hit it off. She had some time off and I thought it would be nice to travel to Austria. She wasn't sure how you all would react because, well I am a bit older than her and…."

"American" Christoph chimed in.

Carlson glared at him. "Canadian actually, but I can see why you would think that."

Christoph ignored Carlson and looked over at his sister. He walked closer to her and she looked up at him. "Béatrice is this true?"

It was a brilliant plan. She'd give Carlson that. Something they hadn't planned for, but it seemed to be working. Now all she had to do was play along. Her brother seemed to have bought it. She looked down at the ground and nodded her head, slowly, trying to act just ashamed enough to make it even more realistic.

"In all our years together growing up, this is the last thing I would have ever expected from you. You always seemed too much of a goody goody and never interested in dating" she heard Christoph say. He suddenly let out a laugh and clapped his hands, causing her to look up. "Finally, now I have something to hold over your head against mother and father. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Béatrice let out a sigh of relief and a small smile at her brother. "I wasn't sure how you would react" she looked up at Carlson. "And I wasn't exactly sure what this was, I didn't want to get your hopes up."

Christoph shook his head and laughed again. "Always the worrier you are, Béatrice. Well I wouldn't go as far as giving you my blessing just yet, but I think first I need to get to know that man who's stolen my sisters heart. How about dinner tonight? There's a lovely restaurant just around the corner. Perhaps around eight?"

"We'll be there" Carlson nodded his head. "I look forward to getting to know you more. Béatrice talks about you all the time."

* * *

Robert Carlson slammed the door to their apartment so hard, that Béatrice was sure the whole place shook a little bit. Even before they had left the market, she knew he was furious about the run in with Christoph. "How the hell did you not know your brother was here?" he shouted at her. "This could ruin everything."

She looked at him in disbelief, just shaking her head walking away from him. She didn't want to hear a lecture from him especially about something that was completely out of her control.

"Our cover could be blown, you know that?" Carlson continued as she walked over to her dresser and opened it up. "The whole operation is now at risk because of you. I just knew you'd screw up this mission somehow. The moment I was told I would be partnered up with you, I just knew. You're going to get us killed or worse. Do you even understand how dangerous this is?"

Béatrice slammed shut the dresser and stood silently for a moment. "Will you shut up?" she yelled. Turning around she marched straight up to Carlson and looked him straight in the eye. She was tired of this. Tired of him. "I know better than anyone how dangerous this is. I haven't heard from my brother in months. My parents haven't spoken to him either, so how the hell was I supposed to know he was here in Austria? Contrary to your own personal belief Agent Carlson, I am not on some sort of suicide mission and I did not intentionally screw this up. Do you think that if I knew my brother, who also happens to be a member of the Third Reich was in Austria that I would have come on this mission? That I would be willing to risk my life, my parent's lives, or even your life? If he found out what I was doing, my family would be killed and my brother would hunt me down."

She took a deep breath and just shook her head. "You don't know anything about me. You think you do, but you're wrong. You only know what other people have told you or what you've read about me in reports . You've made absolutely no effort these past few weeks. You've been nothing but distant and miserable. You don't even seem interested in being here. Why are you even in the S.S.R.? I'm sorry you got stuck working with me for this mission. I didn't ask for it, but guess what? We must work together now. You need to get your ego in check and change you attitude or we're both going to get killed." She let out another deep breath and ran her hands through her hair.

Robert Carlson looked stunned. Never in a million years did he expect that kind of response from her, but Béatrice was tired of how he acted towards her. She crossed her arms and waited for a response. She figured any second he would start yelling at her again.

Carlson took a deep breath. "Okay" he nodded. "We…umm…we should prepare for dinner tonight. Get our story straight. Your brother….. he'll probably ask a lot of questions. We need to make sure we actually look like the couple we're trying to make ourselves out to be."

Béatrice blinked at him a few times, it seemed it was now her turn to be stunned into silence. Looking closer at Carlson, he looked almost…..remorseful? However, she didn't have time to worry about that now. Right now she needed to focus on the issue at hand; her brother and the fact that he thought she and Carlson were together. They needed a story and a show, something they could act out in front of Christoph, which would prove just how madly in love they were with each other.

So, for the next four hours, they created just that.

* * *

In a dimly lit restaurant, Béatrice let out another deep breath as Carlson led her by her hand. She had to admit, she felt nervous about this dinner. Even though she and Carlson had spent the last four hours prepping their story and making sure every detail was in sync with one another, she was still fearful that Christoph would see right through it. Still, she had to keep it together. They would get through this, somehow, or at least she hoped so.

The pair saw Christoph sitting in a corner of the restaurant. He stood up and waved at them. As they approached, somethign caught Béatrice's eyes. Sticking out of his pocket was a piece of paper. As Christoph and Carlson greeted each other, she saw writing on the paper in German along with the insignia of the Third Reich. She pulled Christoph into a tight a hug and slipped the paper from his pocket. It could have been nothing, but she knew how close her brother was to Hitler. She'd rather be safe than sorry.

She'd have to take a moment during dinner to slip into the toilet to see what it was.

The group sat down and soon a waiter approached, allowing them to order drinks and look over the menu. They made small talk, but she knew that at any moment, Christoph would begin to hurl questions at them left and right. But they were ready.

"So I guess we should just jump into this" Christoph smiled at the pair. The moment had finally arrived for them. "How did you two meet?"

Béatrice looked over at Carlson and smiled, trying to play the devoted girlfriend. "Well some days when I'm finished with classes, I like to take a walk around the city. To clear my head and it's just such a beautiful city. One day I was doing just that and Robert…" she stopped finding it strange to even hear herself say his first name. She shook off the odd feeling. "He was completely lost, the poor thing."

"I was trying to find Notre Dame and somehow ended up near Invalides. I was a typical lost foreigner" Carlson interjected. "So I stopped the first person I could find, which happened to be your sister. My French is terrible, so in broken French I tried to ask her, only to find out she spoke perfect English."

Béatrice nodded her head. "So since I had nothing to do for the rest of the day, I offered to walk him to Notre Dame. We talked along the way, got to know one another a bit and when I got him to Notre Dame, he offered to take me to dinner for being such a bother, which it wasn't by the way." She laughed slightly as Carlson put his arm around her. "Then he asked if I could show him some other sites the next day and he took me to dinner again….."

"And I've been seeing her ever since" Carlson explained. "Your sister was a life saver that day. Although in a way, I'm thankful I got lost. Otherwise, I wouldn't have even met her."

Christoph eyed them closely for a moment. She held her breath, praying that he brother bought the story. He brought his drink to his lips and took a long gulp. "I have to say…" he began. "It's funny really."

"What is?" Carlson asked in response.

Christoph smiled at Carlson widely. "History repeating itself of course" he chuckled. "She did tell you our parents met in Paris did she not?"

Carlson looked at Béatrice in disbelief. "You didn't tell me that" he pouted.

She laughed and shook her head. "Didn't want to scare you off."

"Doubt it would have" he smirked at her.

Christoph just rolled his eyes playfully. "You two are almost sickening" he shook his head. "Tell me Robert, what do you do for a living?"

Carlson sat back in his seat in silence for a moment, clearly uncomfortable at the question. Béatrice gently placed her hand on top of Carlson's, stroking it gently, trying to continue to play the part. However, there was something in the pit of her stomach as she played her role. She knew the cause of it. A single name came to mind. Bucky. God, she hoped this wouldn't ruin anything between them.

"Well I'm taking some time off. I was working for my father back in Canada" he answered finally. I was a lawyer, but to be perfectly honest with you, I got bored. Wanted to see more of the world. Decided to take a bit of a vacation and Europe seemed as good of place as any to visit. Didn't matter to me that there was a war going on."

Christoph strummed his fingers on the table and sat back in his seat. "Tell me Robert, what do you think of the Third Reich?"

Oh god, Béatrice thought to herself. This was something she was not expecting. She felt Carlson squeeze her side gently. She didn't want to hear this conversation. She couldn't. Maybe this was the chance for her to run and look at the paper her brother had in his pocket. That's what she would do. "I think I'm going to take that as my cue to go powder my nose, excuse me gentlemen." With that, she grabbed her purse and quickly ran off to the toilet.

Christoph raised his eyebrows as his sister ran off before he could day anything. Carlson on the other hand looked confused more than anything. He turned back to the Nazi officer sitting in front of him and coughed slightly.

"I see she's still a bit squeamish on the subject" Christoph said nonchalantly. "I knew it would be a mistake sending her to Paris. I tried to talk my parents out of it. She belongs in Germany. With her own people."

"I'd say she's been doing pretty well for herself" Carlson eyed him closely. "And in answer to your question. I don't think anything of the Third Reich. Don't know much about it and haven't bothered to learn. Politics, not really my sort of thing."

"And yet you call yourself a lawyer" Christoph smirked at him.

"Didn't say I was a good one" Carlson chuckled slightly before picking up his drink and taking a sip.

"The Third Reich is winning the war, Robert. We are. We're going to change things. Make the world into the place that it should be. We will keep the strong and loyal, and destroy the traitors and those who are weak" Christoph said lowly. "If you continue to see my sister, eventually you must learn more about our glorious organization. My whole family is a part of this magnificent movement. Béatrice is as well….or she will be once she finally sees the light and comes home to us. Neither of you want to be on the wrong side of history." He took a sip from his drink as Carlson pondered everything he had been just told. "I suppose my next question should be, what are your intentions with my sister? She's still young and I'm sure you've been made aware that she's never had a real relationship with another man before you"

Carlson nodded his head at him. "I know. Of course I'm sure you're aware of how special Béatrice is. I want nothing but the best for her. She's strong, independent, loyal beautiful, and she speaks her mind. She's not like anyone I've ever met; I'm very lucky to have met her. I'd be a fool if I let someone like her go. It's taken me a while to realize it, but I'm falling in love with her. I didn't come here to meet anyone, but it seems like fate has a different plan."

* * *

Béatrice frowned standing in the bathroom, looking at the piece of paper that was in her hand, her hands were shaking. As her eyes skimmed the page she realized,her intuition was right, this paper was important.

On it in Christopher's own handwriting was a list of Jewish families in the area. Beside each family name was a record of how many people where in the family, the occupation of the fathers, and the ages of each family member.

Her brother was taking population counts on the Jewish families of the area. But why? Why was he sent to consider how many people were Jewish and why in this area? Of course, the Nazi's probably wanted to keep track of people they deemed sub-human, but what would they be doing with them? Plans to kill them? Moving them?

Her heart stopped. That was what they were doing. They had to have been moving them. Somewhere out of the country. Perhaps to those labor camps her father spoke of. As quickly as she could, she pulled out a small notebook from her purse and quickly began to take down the names and information as fast as she could. She knew she would have to be getting back to her brother and Carlson soon. Otherwise, he would get suspicious.

Walking back to the table with a smile on her face, Béatrice pondered how she would get the piece of paper back into Christoph's pocket without him noticing. She probably couldn't use the same tactic she had before. No, she had to be smarter than that.

"Ahh, there you are" Christoph smiled up at her. "We were starting to get worried."

"No need to worry" she replied sitting down and putting her purse on the ground. She quickly pulled the piece of paper out and placed it on the floor. "Oh Christoph, is this yours?" she asked pretending to pick up the piece of paper from the floor and handing it to him. "It was in front of you on the floor."

Her brother reached out for the piece of paper and frowned slightly. She noticed his eyes going slightly wide and he quickly put the piece of paper back safely in his pocket. "Work business" he looked up, noticing the confusion on her face. "Nothing to worry your pretty head about. Something I must deal with after dinner. Shall we eat?"

* * *

After finishing dinner, the pair bid Christoph a good night. He hugged his sister tightly, telling her how happy he was to have run into her and he made her promise to keep in touch. He also swore that he wouldn't tell their parents about her relationship with Robert until she was ready. Not that it would have mattered. She would have to write a letter to her father, explaining the situation anyway, at the first chance she got. He shook hands with Carlson and told him to take care of her, before he told them that he needed to be off to finish some work.

With that Christoph began to walk off into the night. Béatrice watched him walk down the street. The list of Jewish names very clear in her mind. She wondered if his work would deal with that for the evening.

"It's late, we should head home" Carlson suddenly spoke, looking at her as she continued to watch her brother disappear into the night.

She turned to face him, shaking her head. "My brother has a list of the Jewish population in the area. Names, occupations, ages of everyone." She began to go through her purse, taking out the small notebook. "I saw it at the beginning of dinner. I nicked it when I hugged him. This is everything that was on it." She then handed him the notebook.

Carlson looked at her strangely. He blinked for a moment and then it hit him. "That piece of paper…. you had it even before you went to the bathroom." He took it and began to flip through the pages skimming as he went. He looked up at her. "What is this?"

"I don't know" she responded. "I think they may be starting to move more Jews out of the country, but I can't be sure."

He stood silently in front of her, closing the notebook. Playing with it in his hands, he took a deep breath. "Then I guess we should see what he's up to then."

She was taken aback by his words. "Really?" she breathed.

Carlson nodded at her, handing her back the notebook. "Only if you follow my lead. First sign of trouble, we get out, got it?"

Even though Christoph had been very much ahead of them, the pair managed to catch up with him rather quickly. Keeping to the shadows and at a distance, they followed him to the outskirts of town. Both Béatrice and Carlson knew what was there; the Jewish ghettos.

Carlson grabbed her hand and the two took cover behind one of the houses. Many of the residents were lined up in the middle of the ghettos looking confused as to why they were out. Béatrice swallowed a lump in her throat. She had a horrible feeling about what was about to happen.

Christoph walked over to a group of young men. The uniforms confirmed that they too were Nazi's. Neither she nor Carlson could hear what they said, but soon Christoph turned and began to walk down the line of townspeople.

"Good evening Jews" he exclaimed loudly, smirking at all of them. "Apologizes for making you come out tonight, but we seem to have a small problem. A problem that must be fixed." He stopped and looked back a forth. "We have received information that one of you has been feeding information to some foreign spies. Now, we know which one of you has, but we're going to give you the chance to come forward yourself."

Carlson and Béatrice looked at one another in confusion. "You don't think he's talking about us, do you?" he asked.

"I was just about to ask you the same question" she breathed out before turning back to watch the scene.

Christoph continued to look around and wait for someone to step forward. He started to walk down the line once more. Taking a deep breath, he made a tsk sound, shaking his head. "It's a shame. We gave you a chance and yet you won't take it. I don't understand you people. We put you together in one area with your families. We allow you to go about your daily life and this is how you thank us?" He shook his head again.

He looked over to the other officers and nodded his head. They walked down the line and suddenly grabbed a man from the line harshly. He struggled against his captors as he was pulled in front of Christoph.

"Isaac Lewkowicz" he said lowly. "You've been found guilty of conspiring against the Third Reich. You're a traitor…. even more so than what your blood makes you. You've been sentenced to death."

Lewkowicz breathed heavily and looked up at Christoph. His eyes narrowed. "You may think you have power over us, but you do not. I see in everyone of your eyes…. the fear. You will not win this war…."

The loud crack of a gun going off stopped Lewkowicz's powerful speech mid-sentence. The Jewish population let out a scream and Béatrice jumped back right into Carlson's arms. Her brother had just killed someone in cold blood. For no real reason at all.

The townspeople cried out in shock. "Quiet!" Christoph yelled out angrily. "Let this be a lesson to you all. We know all. You cannot hide anything from us. We will find out!"

Béatrice felt Carlson gently pull her away from the scene. She felt herself trembling and unable to peel her eyes away from the scene as he continued to yell and belittle the Jews. She felt the tears slowly forming in her eyes. It was worse than she expected.

"Béatrice, we need to get out of here" Carlson urged her. She looked over at him and nodded her head. He turned and in the process knocked over some firewood and tin cans that were on the ground.

Christoph stopped and looked out into the distance. He yelled to the other officers and motioned for them to investigate the noise.

Carlson grabbed her and the pair took off as fast as they could. She could hear yelling in the distance behind them. The cover of darkness hid them well, but they both knew they had to continue to run. They ran through the streets of Austria, trying to evade their followers.

The two of them turned a corner and came upon a wall. Unless they could get over it, the Nazi officers would catch them and then Christoph would know the truth. Carlson boosted Béatrice up over the wall before she could comprehend what was happening sending her tumbling off it and to the ground.

Hitting it with a thump, she groaned and grabbed her head in pain. Carlson hopped over as well, and pulled her up as she began to feel the blood trickle down her face. They took off into the night and didn't stop running until they were sure the coast was clear.

* * *

Béatrice felt as though she was in some sort of haze as Agent Carlson lead her back to their shared apartment. Her mind felt fuzzy and scrambled as it replayed the evening's events. Maybe it was the blood loss, but somehow she knew that her injury did not contribute to what she felt. No, that honor went to her brother, her cruel and hopeless brother.

It was one thing for him to be taking a census of the Jewish population, but for him to shoot a Jew in the street for no reason was something else completely. How silly she was to think that was all he was doing for Hitler. The scene played repeatedly. Her brother's angry voice and insults rang through her brain. It needed to stop. She wanted to scream for it to stop.

She felt herself being gently pushed to sit on a chair. Looking around, she realized she was in the kitchen of the apartment. She barely noticed. Carlson quickly left her side and grabbed a nearby kitchen cloth and put it under the sink to dampen it for a few moments. He then walked back over to her, crouching in front of her to gently press the cloth against her head. She avoided eye contact with him. Her eyes glassy and staring at nothing.

"You still with me?" he looked directly at her. "You took a hell of a tumble." Béatrice only nodded her head to him silently, but shakily.

Carlson took another deep breath, just staring at her. He could see right through the façade. He knew she wasn't okay. She was in shock, not that he blamed her. "You're safe. You hear me? You're going to be fine. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Just breathe." He then stood back up and walked over to the cabinet, opening it once more. He pulled out a small bottle and shook it over his hand, a small pill dropping onto his palm.

He turned back to Beatrice and held out his hand. "This should help you sleep tonight."

"Thank you" she finally whispered, taking the pill from him. She placed it on the table before running her hands through her hair once more.

"You're welcome" he said before walking over to the cabinet. He opened it and pulled out two glasses as well as a bottle of whiskey. He looked over at her once more. "I get it now. I'm sorry I didn't before."

"I don't need your pity Agent Carlson" she breathed, rolling her eyes slightly.

"This isn't pity" Carlson snapped back in retaliation. "This is understanding." He turned his attention back to the glasses and whiskey. Taking the top off the bottle, he began to pour a generous amount into each class. "When I first met you, I thought you were just on some sort of suicide mission. I'm sure you know the story by now. It's crazy that we're using someone like you for this type of thing. Figured you were just looking for a way out for you and your family. Your father is involved in this to an extent…. but your brother….. this is about more than just your family. You're trying to stop the Nazi's. You're really against all of this, aren't you?"

Béatrice blinked slightly and raised her eyebrow. Carlson's statement surprised her somewhat. He was right. This was understanding, not pity. "Do you think I would be here if I wasn't?"

"Could always be a spy" he smirked over at her. He turned to face her and walked back over to her, whiskey glasses in hand. "For what it's worth, you're a hell of an agent" he told her offering her a glass of the whiskey. "What you're doing is brave."

The brunette smirked, taking the glass from him and a sip. "If I didn't know you better, I would say you've gotten over your ridiculous dislike of me."

Carlson's eyebrows raised and he shook his head. "I am sorry for my behavior these past few weeks. I know it won't make up for it, but I am sorry. It's not that I didn't like you personally, I didn't like what you reminded me of" he told her simply before taking a sip of his drink.

The German's brow furrowed as she began to raise her glass again to her lips. She titled her head in confusion and opened her mouth to speak.

"Story for another time" he smirked slightly. "It's not important." He stood up and took a deep breath. "We're both exhausted and had a long day. We need to rest. Tomorrow we'll get the information to the SSR and we'll figure out what to do about your brother." With that he turned around and began to head towards the bathroom.

"I don't have a brother."

Carlson stopped and turned around in confusion looking directly at Béatrice. He was confused for a moment before she spoke again.

"Not anymore" she continued shaking her head. "My brother died the moment he put on the uniform."

He stood quiet for a moment before nodding his head, turning to go to the bathroom. Once the door was shut, Béatrice stood up and walked over to her dresser. Opening it, she rummaged through her clothes until she came upon a small frame. Pulling it out, she looked sadly down at the picture. It was of her and her family, all of them, including Christoph. They were smiling and laughing, back when times were much simpler. Before the war. Before her brother joined a murderous cause. There was a time where she wished she could go back to that time. However, from now on, she would never have that thought. This was always who her brother truly was. The anger and rage were always inside of him. She was just too blind to see it.

Flipping the frame over, she removed the back of it and pulled out the actual photograph. Turning it over slowly, her eyes went directly to Christoph. She pushed her fingers together on the section and then ripped it quickly. From now on, it was just her and her parents. Christoph was nothing more than a miserable memory.

 **Hi everyone! I am so sorry for how long it's taken me to update. But unfortunately, I dealt with writer's block and the fact that school was taking up a lot of my time. I'm still plugging along with this story, but updates will be sporadic. But again, I'm going to try and see if I can update once a month or so. We'll see how it goes. Thank you to everyone who is still reading and reviewing. I appreciate all the feedback. As always, thanks to inperfection, my beta, who edited this when she was sick. So, major hugs to her for sure. As always read and review! I'll be back soon!**


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